Tales of Two Londons: Stories from a Fractured City by Claire Armitstead (ed.)
A capital city of historic buildings next to degraded social housing. A city of the enormously wealthy living beside the poorest and dispossessed. A city in which the burnt-out hulk of Grenfell Tower, standing in London’s richest borough, is a shocking landmark to the potentially fatal consequences of our society’s inequalities. A city in which nearly 40 per cent of the population was born outside of the country. A city with stories to tell, but whose citizens’ stories don’t often seem to come from the same place.
Tales of Two Londons reasons that everybody has a right to seek a better life, no matter where they live. Curated by Claire Armitstead, this contradiction is illuminated in a collection written by as diverse a group of people as the metropolis it records. Here, work from the famous sits alongside the previously unpublished in fiction, reportage and poetry to capture the nuances, accents and schisms that define this contemporary city.
Featuring writers such as Ali Smith, Iain Sinclair, Arifa Akbar and Ruth Padel, and stories from previously unpublished writers, immigrants and refugees, Tales of Two Londons is a compelling collection which captures the constantly evolving fabric and etiquette of the city: its housing, its restaurants and its pubs; its communities, its architecture and its landscape; its art, its buses and tubes, and even its graveyards.
About the Author
Claire Armitstead is Associate Editor, Culture, for the Guardian. Over a 25-year career with the paper she has been arts editor, literary editor and head of books. She presents the weekly Guardian books podcast and is a regular speaker at live events in the UK and internationally. She is also a trustee of the freedom of speech charity English PEN.
Format: Paperback | 250 pages
Dimensions (cm): 19.7 x 12.8 x 2.2 | 298g
Publication Date: 06 Aug 2019
Publisher: Arcadia Books
Publication City/Country: London, United Kingdom
Language: English
Edition Number: 1
ISBN10: 1911350609
ISBN13: 9781911350606
Condition: Good
A book that has been read but is in good condition. Some damage to the cover including minor scuff marks along the edges, and a large crease running down the middle of the back cover, but no holes or tears. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing but no tearing. No pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text, no writing in margins. No missing pages.