CARYL PHILLIPS (b.1958)
The Final Passage. London: Faber and Faber, 1985.
Signed first edition of Caryl Phillips’ first novel tracing the journey of a young family from the British West Indies to 1950s Britain. Opening his first novel for the first time in many years, Phillips reflects on the book that started his career, the writer he was at 23 – when his immigrant parents still worried about his lack of a ‘proper’ job – and what has come to pass since then. His commentary comprises c.1,100 words across 29 pages in total, with one drawing added by the author and one by each of his two young sons; the later annotations expand upon themes of home and displacement, referencing the experiences of the Caribbean immigrants ‘who rebuilt Britain after WWII’.

Octavo. Original black cloth, spine lettered in gilt, pictorial dust jacket.

Buyer’s premium is payable, with a significant portion donated by Christie’s to English PEN, but note that no VAT is payable on hammer price or buyer’s premium.
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