Standing 5’7, give or take an inch or three, Alex Wheatle isn’t exactly the tallest gentleman. Shoulders slight, betraying his 46 years. Even he would admit he’s getting on a bit. But Wheatle was never the type to demand respect through sheer physicality. Alex Wheatle is a literary giant.
Amid the chatter of Richard Wright and Chester Himes, Wheatle becomes enthusiasm personified. Oh, and the lists. Native Son, The Black Jacobins and a truckload of other titles which read like a who's who of the Harlem Renaissance. One thing strikes me about about all the names and titles he lovingly recites. The majority are American. None of them are British, that's for sure.
“In 1981, I went to prison after the Brixton riots,” he says. “Basically, to fill out the time, I started to read. I wanted to read something that could relate to me living in Brixton, but there wasn't anything around. There was only Linton Kwesi Johnson who was doing his dub poetry. It was only him who was publishing anything that could relate to me of my existence living in South London at that time.”
A pad and pen later, then appeared 'Brixton Rock.' Of course, it wasn't that simple.
“I sent it [Brixton Rock] to many, many publishers and agents. I must have had about 25 rejections. Most said 'it wasn't for me,' 'it wasn't for them.' They felt that kind of book wouldn't sell. I said: 'I'd like to buy that kind of book.' I think, the climate was, in those days, young black people didn't buy books. That was their mentality.”
How the big publishers and agents must rue their conservatism. 'Brixton Rock' crossed racial lines and became the roaring success that established Wheatle as the leading literary voice of Black Britain we see today. A decade and five books later, Wheatle is now affectionately known as the 'Brixton Bard.' His latest effort came in 2008. The book is called 'The Dirty South.'
“That's what got me going, that's what got me going with 'The Dirty South.' I wanted to tell an authentic story about what's it like to be young, black and be involved in that world. Maybe drug dealing and gangs, all that. And I wanted to tell it honestly and truthfully.”
Literature from the Serpent's Tail – publisher of 'The Dirty South' – describes Wheatle's latest work as “a fast, compelling novel that offers no easy answers, but refuses to shy away from asking the difficult questions.”
That it is, but it's also so much more. Primarily, it's a manual explaining the mentality of teenagers who dance to the beat of self destruction. Easy money, the allure of ghetto celebrity, distrust of your neighbour, safety in a religion perverted. It's all here, colloquialisms and all.
'The Dirty South' doesn't shy away from the harsh truth, no matter how frightening the darkness may become. “It's social commentary” as Wheatle simply put it, and social commentary is a common feature of Wheatle's work. Stories with meaning still need to be told.
“Stories surround us. I tell children when I go into schools: 'Every time you play a video game, do you realise somebody has to write the story for that? Every time you watch a cartoon, somebody has to write a story for that. Every time you go to the cinema, somebody has to write a story for that. Stories are all around us, you can never do away with stories. That's what makes us human.”
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