Derek Owusu – författare

'It's brave and honest, and not a moment too soon.' Afua Hirsch, Brit(ish)'[An] outstanding myth-busting book. Everyone should read it.' Bernardine EvaristoWhat is the experience of Black men in Britain today? Never has the conversation about racism and inclusion been more important; there is no better time to explore this question and give Black British men a platform to answer it. SAFE: 20 Ways to be a Black Man in Britain Today is that platform. Including essays from top poets, writers, musicians, actors and journalists, this timely and accessible book is in equal parts a celebration, a protest, a call to arms, and a dismantling of the stereotypes surrounding being a Black man. What does it really mean to reclaim and hold space in the landscape of our society? Where do Black men belong in school, in the media, in their own families, in the conversation about mental health, in the LGBTQ+ community, in grime music - and how can these voices inspire, educate and add to the dialogue of diversity already taking place? Following on from discussions raised by Natives and Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race, this collection takes readers on a rich and varied path to confront and question the position of Black men in Britain today, and shines a light on the way forward.Contributors: Alex Holmes, Alex Wheatle, Aniefiok 'Neef' Ekpoudom, Courttia Newland, Derek Oppong, Derek Owusu, Gbontwi Anyetei; Jesse Bernard, JJ Bola; Joseph Harker; Jude Yawson; Kenechukwu Obienu; Kobna Holdbrook-Smith; Nels Abbey; Okechukwu Nzelu; Robyn Travis; Stephen Morrison-Burke; Suli Breaks; Symeon Brown; Yomi Sode

''It''s brave and honest, and not a moment too soon.'' Afua Hirsch, Brit(ish)

''[An] outstanding myth-busting book. Everyone should read it.'' Bernardine EvaristoWhat is the experience of Black men in Britain today? Never has the conversation about racism and inclusion been more important; there is no better time to explore this question and give Black British men a platform to answer it. SAFE: 20 Ways to be a Black Man in Britain Today is that platform. Including essays from top poets, writers, musicians, actors and journalists, this timely and accessible book is in equal parts a celebration, a protest, a call to arms, and a dismantling of the stereotypes surrounding being a Black man. What does it really mean to reclaim and hold space in the landscape of our society? Where do Black men belong in school, in the media, in their own families, in the conversation about mental health, in the LGBTQ+ community, in grime music - and how can these voices inspire, educate and add to the dialogue of diversity already taking place? Following on from discussions raised by Natives and Why I''m No Longer Talking to White People About Race, this collection takes readers on a rich and varied path to confront and question the position of Black men in Britain today, and shines a light on the way forward.Contributors: Alex Holmes, Alex Wheatle, Aniefiok ''Neef'' Ekpoudom, Courttia Newland, Derek Oppong, Derek Owusu, Gbontwi Anyetei; Jesse Bernard, JJ Bola; Joseph Harker; Jude Yawson; Kenechukwu Obienu; Kobna Holdbrook-Smith; Nels Abbey; Okechukwu Nzelu; Robyn Travis; Stephen Morrison-Burke; Suli Breaks; Symeon Brown; Yomi Sode

WINNER OF THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE 2020___________________________________'A singular achievement.'Michael Donkor, Guardian'Heartbreaking, important and original.' Christie Watson, author of THE LANGUAGE OF KINDNESS'Derek Owusu's writing is honest, moving, delicate, but tough. Once you lock on to his words, it is hard to break eye contact. A beautiful meditation on childhood, coming of age, the now, and the media. This work is heartfelt.' Benjamin Zephaniah'Honest and beautiful.' Guy Gunaratne, author of IN OUR MAD AND FURIOUS CITY'When writing is this honest, it soars. What an incredible use of language and truth.' Yrsa Daley-Ward___________________________________Anansi, your four gifts raised to nyame granted you no power over the stories I tell...This is the story of K.K is sent into care before a year marks his birth. He grows up in fields and woods, and he is happy, he thinks. When K is eleven, the city reclaims him. He returns to an unknown mother and a part-time father, trading the fields for flats and a community that is alien to him. Slowly, he finds friends. Eventually, he finds love. He learns how to navigate the city. But as he grows, he begins to realise that he needs more than the city can provide. He is a man made of pieces. Pieces that are slowly breaking apartThat Reminds Me is the story of one young man, from birth to adulthood, told in fragments of memory. It explores questions of identity, belonging, addiction, sexuality, violence, family and religion. It is a deeply moving and completely original work of literature from one of the brightest British writers of today.

WINNER OF THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE 2020___________________________________'A singular achievement.'Michael Donkor, Guardian'Heartbreaking, important and original.' Christie Watson, author of THE LANGUAGE OF KINDNESS'Derek Owusu's writing is honest, moving, delicate, but tough. Once you lock on to his words, it is hard to break eye contact. A beautiful meditation on childhood, coming of age, the now, and the media. This work is heartfelt.' Benjamin Zephaniah'Honest and beautiful.' Guy Gunaratne, author of IN OUR MAD AND FURIOUS CITY'When writing is this honest, it soars. What an incredible use of language and truth.' Yrsa Daley-Ward___________________________________Anansi, your four gifts raised to nyame granted you no power over the stories I tell...This is the story of K.K is sent into care before a year marks his birth. He grows up in fields and woods, and he is happy, he thinks. When K is eleven, the city reclaims him. He returns to an unknown mother and a part-time father, trading the fields for flats and a community that is alien to him. Slowly, he finds friends. Eventually, he finds love. He learns how to navigate the city. But as he grows, he begins to realise that he needs more than the city can provide. He is a man made of pieces. Pieces that are slowly breaking apartThat Reminds Me is the story of one young man, from birth to adulthood, told in fragments of memory. It explores questions of identity, belonging, addiction, sexuality, violence, family and religion. It is a deeply moving and completely original work of literature from one of the brightest British writers of today.

Leon "Locksmith" Rolle is one-quarter of the phenomenally successful band Rudimental. In this book, he shares his aspirational story. With chapters on mindset, self-belief and confidence, Leon encourages you to find balance and happiness, no matter what life throws at you.Leon grew up in Hackney, where he played semi-professional football and went on to form Rudimental with three childhood friends. He says: "Things weren’t always easy for me growing up, and I made a lot of mistakes. But I don’t regret any of it, because everything that’s happened has made me Locksmith, and that makes me proud. I want you to be proud of yourself too. You have the power to be great, and successes, mistakes and failures are all just a part of life. It's the journey that counts, because that's what makes you who you are."Let Leon's story inspire you to embrace life and fulfil your incredible potential.

Leon "Locksmith" Rolle is one-quarter of the phenomenally successful band Rudimental. In this book, he shares his aspirational story. With chapters on mindset, self-belief and confidence, Leon encourages you to find balance and happiness, no matter what life throws at you.Leon grew up in Hackney, where he played semi-professional football and went on to form Rudimental with three childhood friends. He says: "Things weren’t always easy for me growing up, and I made a lot of mistakes. But I don’t regret any of it, because everything that’s happened has made me Locksmith, and that makes me proud. I want you to be proud of yourself too. You have the power to be great, and successes, mistakes and failures are all just a part of life. It's the journey that counts, because that's what makes you who you are."Let Leon's story inspire you to embrace life and fulfil your incredible potential.

'What a beautiful book, it’s like a hug, or a gentle holding of a hand' MICHAELA COEL‘As disarming as it is gripping, The Recovery House is a fluid, bruised and beautiful brooch of a book’ INUA ELLAMS'The Recovery House is a work of the soul. It's some of the most earnest, beautiful writing I've come across in years' JO HAMYA'So rich, emotional and wise, distilling it all into a finely textured work of tenderness, love, camaraderie and human resilience' COURTTIA NEWLAND'I was deeply moved... each vignette feels like a small gift, told in a voice that will linger with me' SOPHIE MACKINTOSH'There are writers who both survive things and understand them. Brutal, precise, and full of light' YRSA DALEY-WARD'I loved this beautiful book' SARAH BERNSTEINA Granta Best Young British NovelistJamal, a gifted and introspective young poet, wakes in a quiet, claustrophobic recovery house after a devastating mental breakdown, unsure how the bright edges of his life became so fractured. In this stark yet strangely tender sanctuary, with its watchful nurses, restless corridors and overlooked garden, he encounters several wounded, but radiant souls who are each wrestling with their own invisible storms. As Jamal navigates this suspended world, at once suffocating and strangely sacred, he begins to observe rather than retreat, finding in the rhythms of shared cigarettes, half-finished conversations and midnight confessions a hesitant, flickering sense of belonging.Within these intimate, volatile walls, music drifts like prayer. A song sung into the dark becomes a fragile lifeline. Psalms are read aloud with trembling conviction. Laughter erupts, unexpected and defiant. Jamal’s searching, philosophical mind moves restlessly between memory and imagination, literature and scripture, doubt and devotion, interrogating the porous boundaries between illness and inspiration. What does it mean to hear a voice and call it God, or art, or madness? What is salvation in a place built to contain collapse? In the charged silence of the garden, under watchful skies, he begins to sense that joy can exist even here, braided through grief, carried on melody, sustained by human touch.Tender, intelligent and spiritually inquisitive, The Recovery House is a novel about the music that survives inside us when language falters, about the redemptive possibilities of friendship, and about the delicate courage required to rebuild a self. As Jamal reckons with love, faith, shame and the perilous seduction of turning life into art, he is forced to confront the most difficult question of all: how to live honestly in the world without sacrificing the soul that makes him want to write it.'A compelling and deeply engaging read' DANIEL LAWRENCE TAYLOR'I loved it’ KRYSTELLE BAMFORD'The Recovery House is a masterclass in storytelling. I was mesmerised from start to finish… I’ve never read anything like it and I don’t think I ever will. The Recovery House is perfect' ORE AGBAJE-WILLIAMS'A prescient novel, which captures very powerfully the surreal space and mundane routines of an institution. Owusu has drawn that desolate situation so poignantly' SARA BAUME'An impressively vulnerable novel - I read it in one sitting and immediately went back to page one to read it again' VARAIDZO'Derek Owusu is the real deal, and The Recovery House is his best work yet' KEIRAN GODDARD'The Recovery House is brimming with tenderness' ROZIE KELLY

A Quick Reads story from the author of That Reminds Me and Borderline FictionFROM GRANTA BEST OF YOUNG BRITISH NOVELIST AND WINNER OF THE DESMOND ELLIOT PRIZERay wants the perfect body.But how far is too far?When his training turns extreme, Ray is pulled into a dark gym culture that promises results at any cost. As his body changes, so does his mind. Watching from the side lines is his girlfriend Temi, a journalist who expresses concern but has her own secret agenda.Hunger Pains is a gripping story about obsession, control, and what happens when self-improvement becomes self-destruction.Praise for Derek Owusu:'Owusu can find humour in the bleakest places, taking you on an emotional rollercoaster and constantly challenging how you feel about a place meant to heal' Daniel Lawrence Taylor'Derek Owusu is the real deal' Keiran Goddard'Derek Owusu's writing is honest, moving, delicate, but tough. Once you lock on to his words, it is hard to break eye contact' Benjamin Zephaniah

'What a beautiful book, it’s like a hug, or a gentle holding of a hand' MICHAELA COEL‘A work of the soul. It's some of the most earnest, beautiful writing I've come across in years.' JO HAMYA 'So rich, emotional and wise, distilling it all into a finely textured work of tenderness, love, camaraderie and human resilience.' COURTTIA NEWLAND'I was deeply moved... each vignette feels like a small gift, told in a voice that will linger with me' SOPHIE MACKINTOSH'The Recovery House is a masterclass in storytelling. I was mesmerised from start to finish… I’ve never read anything like it and I don’t think I ever will. The Recovery House is perfect' ORE AGBAJE-WILLIAMS-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Jamal, a gifted and introspective young poet, wakes in a quiet, claustrophobic recovery house after a devastating mental breakdown, unsure how the bright edges of his life became so fractured. In this stark yet strangely tender sanctuary, with its watchful nurses, restless corridors and overlooked garden, he encounters several wounded, but radiant souls who are each wrestling with their own invisible storms.Navigating this suspended world, at once suffocating and strangely sacred, Jamal begins to observe rather than retreat, finding in the rhythms of shared cigarettes, half-finished conversations and midnight confessions a hesitant, flickering sense of belonging.Jamal’s searching, philosophical mind moves restlessly between memory and imagination, literature and scripture, doubt and devotion, interrogating the porous boundaries between illness and inspiration. What does it mean to hear a voice and call it God, or art, or madness? What is salvation in a place built to contain collapse? In the charged silence of the garden, under watchful skies, he begins to sense that joy can exist even here, braided through grief, carried on melody, sustained by human touch.As Jamal reckons with love, faith, shame and the perilous seduction of turning life into art, he is forced to confront the most difficult question of all: how to live honestly in the world without sacrificing the soul that makes him want to write it.Tender, intelligent and spiritually inquisitive, The Recovery House is a novel about the music that survives inside us when language falters, about the redemptive possibilities of friendship, and about the delicate courage required to rebuild a self.Further praise for The Recovery House:'I loved this beautiful book' SARAH BERNSTEIN'A compelling and deeply engaging read' DANIEL LAWRENCE TAYLOR'I loved it’ KRYSTELLE BAMFORD'There are writers who both survive things and understand them. Brutal, precise, and somehow full of light.' YRSA DALEY-WARD'A prescient novel, which captures very powerfully the surreal space and mundane routines of an institution. Owusu has drawn that desolate situation so poignantly' SARA BAUME'An impressively vulnerable novel - I read it in one sitting and immediately went back to page one to read it again' VARAIDZO'Derek Owusu is the real deal, and The Recovery House is his best work yet' KEIRAN GODDARD'The Recovery House is brimming with tenderness' ROZIE KELLY

A Quick Reads story from the author of That Reminds Me and Borderline FictionFROM GRANTA BEST OF YOUNG BRITISH NOVELIST AND WINNER OF THE DESMOND ELLIOT PRIZERay wants the perfect body.But how far is too far?When his training turns extreme, Ray is pulled into a dark gym culture that promises results at any cost. As his body changes, so does his mind. Watching from the side lines is his girlfriend Temi, a journalist who expresses concern but has her own secret agenda.Hunger Pains is a gripping story about obsession, control, and what happens when self-improvement becomes self-destruction.Praise for Derek Owusu:'Owusu can find humour in the bleakest places, taking you on an emotional rollercoaster and constantly challenging how you feel about a place meant to heal' Daniel Lawrence Taylor'Derek Owusu is the real deal' Keiran Goddard'Derek Owusu's writing is honest, moving, delicate, but tough. Once you lock on to his words, it is hard to break eye contact' Benjamin Zephaniah

DEREK OWUSU NAMED GRANTA'S BEST OF YOUNG BRITISH NOVELISTS 2023LONGLISTED FOR THE JHALAK PRIZE 2023LONGLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE 2023SHORTLISTED FOR PEOPLE'S BOOK PRIZE - FICTION 2023LONGLISTED FOR THE DIVERSE BOOK AWARDS 2023'A highly enigmatic, affectionate and robustly written portrayal of a mother-son relationship . . . very relatable' Diana EvansDriven by a deep-seated desire to understand his mother's life before he was born, Derek Owusu offers a powerful imagining of her journey. As she moves from Ghana to the UK and navigates parenthood in a strange and often lonely environment, the effects of her displacement are felt across generations.Told through the eyes of both mother and son, Losing the Plot is at once emotionally raw and playful as Owusu experiments with form to piece together the immigrant experience and explore how the stories we share and tell ourselves are just as vital as the ones we don't.

DEREK OWUSU NAMED GRANTA'S BEST OF YOUNG BRITISH NOVELISTS 2023LONGLISTED FOR THE JHALAK PRIZE 2023LONGLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE 2023SHORTLISTED FOR PEOPLE'S BOOK PRIZE - FICTION 2023LONGLISTED FOR THE DIVERSE BOOK AWARDS 2023'A highly enigmatic, affectionate and robustly written portrayal of a mother-son relationship . . . very relatable' Diana EvansDriven by a deep-seated desire to understand his mother's life before he was born, Derek Owusu offers a powerful imagining of her journey. As she moves from Ghana to the UK and navigates parenthood in a strange and often lonely environment, the effects of her displacement are felt across generations.Told through the eyes of both mother and son, Losing the Plot is at once emotionally raw and playful as Owusu experiments with form to piece together the immigrant experience and explore how the stories we share and tell ourselves are just as vital as the ones we don't.

FROM GRANTA BEST OF YOUNG BRITISH NOVELIST AND WINNER OF THE DESMOND ELLIOT PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE 2026'Glaringly fresh and true' COURTTIA NEWLAND'Full of originality and raw, pure, gutsy talent' CHRISTIE WATSON'Masterful' TROY ONYANGOLoneliness means you don't have to disappoint anyone until you develop the habit of talking to yourselfAt nineteen, Marcus is young and in love . . . again. When his latest crush, Adwoa, starts showing him true affection, Marcus is ready to reconsider his lifestyle - the drugs, the casual encounters. At least for a little while.Now, before he knows it, Marcus is twenty-five. And history risks repeating itself.Told through two parallel narratives - one past, one present - Borderline Fiction is a highly original and deeply affecting contemporary tale written with an intensity of emotion and vulnerability. The novel is a close-up, sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes funny examination of what it means to be a young black man navigating today's world.Tortured, beautiful, anxious and poetic, Borderline Fiction is a memorable glimpse into the inner world of a young man searching for an authentic way to love and be loved.

FROM GRANTA BEST OF YOUNG BRITISH NOVELIST AND WINNER OF THE DESMOND ELLIOT PRIZE SHORTLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE 2026'Disarmingly poignant' Guardian'Rare and compulsive' CANDICE CARTY-WILLIAMS'Unflinching' DAMON GALGUT'Wise, tender and funny' CAMILLA GRUDOVA'A true masterpiece' JASON OKUNDAYE'Glaringly fresh and true' COURTTIA NEWLAND'Full of originality and raw, pure, gutsy talent' CHRISTIE WATSONLoneliness means you don't have to disappoint anyone until you develop the habit of talking to yourselfAt nineteen, Marcus is young and in love . . . again. When his latest crush, Adwoa, starts showing him true affection, Marcus is ready to reconsider his lifestyle - the drugs, the casual encounters. At least for a little while.Now, before he knows it, Marcus is twenty-five. And history risks repeating itself.Told through two parallel narratives - one past, one present - Borderline Fiction is a highly original and deeply affecting contemporary tale of what it means to be a young black man navigating today's world.

Faith is a subject that has shaped the art world in Britain for as long as it has existed. The walls of Tate’s galleries exhibit paintings like John Martin’s The Last Judgement and The Great Day of His Wrath – both dramatic scenes that foretell apocalyptic destruction and biblical catastrophe. But faith can also exist in the small tender glimpses of hope, of love and joy. Responding to works in Britain’s national collection of art, from Frank Holl to Agostino Brunias, Look Again: Faith is a powerful meditation on the presence and meaning of belief in art. Look Again is a new series of short books from Tate Publishing, opening up the conversation about British art over the last 500 years, and exploring what art has to tell us about our lives today. Written by leading voices from the worlds of literature, art and culture, each book sheds new light on some of the most well-known, best-loved and thought-provoking artworks in the national collection, and asks us to look again.