Samuel Selvon Book order (chronological)

Introducing Little Clothbound Classics: irresistible, mini editions of short stories, novellas and essays from the world's greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith. Celebrating the range and diversity of Penguin Classics, they take us from snowy Japan to springtime Vienna, from haunted New England to a sun-drenched Mediterranean island, and from a game of chess on the ocean to a love story on the moon. Beautifully designed and printed, these collectible editions are bound in colourful, tactile cloth and stamped with foil. Sam Selvon is now widely considered to be one of the greatest chroniclers of the West Indian emigrant experience. His evocation of voice, of place, of longing, defined for many the experience of a generation. Describing life in the Caribbean and day-to-day adventures in London, this collection features many his most acclaimed stories, including 'The Village Washer', 'A Drink of Water' and 'The Cricket Match'.

Set in London in 1965, The Housing Lark follows a group of West Indian friends as they attempt to buy a house together in the city they now call home, while also navigating racist attitudes, sexual politics, exploitative landlords and brushes with the law. Written with Selvon's characteristic exuberance and humour, this is a vivid and moving depiction of the migrant experience, peopled by a compelling cast of schemers, dreamers and hustlers.

Wie baut man sich eine Zukunft mit Mut und Witz? Er ist gewitzt, liebenswert und unausstehlich: der 16-jährige Tiger, den seine Eltern mit einem Mädchen verheiraten, das er noch nie gesehen hat. Wie er ist ganz Trinidad Anfang der Vierzigerjahre im Aufbruch – plötzlich schlagen die Amerikaner auf und ziehen einen Highway quer über die Insel. Also Schluss mit den Gelegenheitsarbeiten. Raus aus den Bretterbuden. Auf in die Arme der Amerikaner. Und dann? Ein karibischer Roman, in dessen strahlendem Licht Selvon eine große Frage stellt: Wie baut man sich ein Leben auf, wenn man gar nichts hat – nichts außer Mut und Witz.

From the brilliant, sharp, witty pen of Sam Selvon, this is a classic award-winning novel of immigrant life in London in the 1950s

In Trinidad during World War II, Tiger, sixteen, and Urmilla, his young wife through an arranged marriage try to enter the world of adult responsibilities