'This is a miracle of a book' – George Lamming
'Engaging. Stuart Hall's story is the story of an era' – Owen Jones
'Sometimes I feel like the last colonial.'
About the book
In this impressive life story, Stuart Hall, writer and influential thinker, tells about his extraordinary life. He grew up in a middle-class family in 1930s Jamaica, when it was still a British colony. Hall found himself between two worlds: the respectable middle class of Kingston, which measured itself against the white plantation owners, and the poor but cultural and historical Jamaica of the working class and farmers.
Life and history
When the colonial regime came under pressure, the island and the world changed. In 1951, Hall left for Oxford on a scholarship, where he met other Caribbean writers and thinkers, such as Sam Selvon, George Lamming, and V. S. Naipaul. He also became friends with Raymond Williams and E. P. Thompson. Together, they built the New Left movement and developed influential ideas on cultural theory.
Themes and significance
Familiar Stranger describes Hall's struggle to build a place and life in postwar England, as society changed rapidly and questions about race, class, and identity took center stage. The book combines passion with insight and shows how historical forces shape our identity.
About the learning material
- Language: Dutch
- Suitable for: education, self-study, work
- Language level: B2–C2
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