At a time that feels unprecedented in British politics – with unlawful prorogations of parliament, casual race-baiting by senior politicians, and a climate crisis that continues to be ignored – it’s easy to think these are unchartered waters for us, as a democracy.
But Britain has seen political crises and far-right extremism before, just as it has witnessed regressive, heavy-handed governments. Much worse has been done, or allowed to be done, in the name of the people and eventually, those same people have called it out, stood up, resisted.
In this new collection of fictions and essays, spanning two millennia of British protest, authors, historians and activists re-imagine twenty acts of defiance: campaigns to change unjust laws, protests against unlawful acts, uprisings successful and unsuccessful – from Boudica to Blair Peach, from the Battle of Cable Street to the tragedy of Grenfell Tower. Britain might not be famous for its revolutionary spirit, but its people know when to draw the line, and say very clearly, ‘¡No pasarán!’
This project has been supported by the Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust and the Lipman-Miliband Trust, as well as Arts Council England.
Part of Comma's 'History-into-Fiction' series.
One of Waterstones' 'Best of 2019'!
As featured in Stylist and Prospect.
'What a clever idea for a book... It works admirably.' - The Irish Times
'There's never a bad time to be reminded that, when things got bad enough, ordinary Britons would fight back' - The Herald
'The stories are of a consistently high literary quality, and more importantly, do vital work in finding the human element in mass protests and key historical moments of insurrection.' - LSE Review of Books
'It's historic and new, it reflects while questioning the current day, it offers a fictional exploration and a grounded real world context.' - The Skinny
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