Professor Bernardine Evaristo
Professor - Creative Writing

Research area(s)

• A wide range of contemporary British fiction
• All kinds of international/multi-culture fiction
• Historical fiction and alternate universe
• Afro-diaspora interests
• Verse fiction/ experimental fiction

Research Interests

Bernardine’s literature has fused history with the contemporary, explored the relationship between Britain, Europe, the Americas, Africa and the African Diaspora, and negotiated the boundaries of form, fusing fiction and poetry with (in Soul Tourists) more experimental techniques.


This is manifested thus:
Her novel Mr Loverman is told by a 74 year old Caribbean Londoner who is closet gay, alongside the parallel narrative of his deeply religious wife, Carmel.In her satirical novel Blonde Roots she invented a parallel universe where Africans enslave Europeans.

Her polyvocal verse-novel Lara is based on 150 years of her family history spanning England, Nigeria, Ireland, Germany and Brazil.

The Emperor’s Babe is a verse novel about a black girl in Roman London 1800 years ago - made  both historical and contemporary through anachronism.

Soul Tourists explores a modern-day couple travelling across Europe and the appearance of  European ghosts of colour going back to Hannibal 2500 years ago.

Her novella Hello Mum gives voice to a 14 yr old London boy who gets involved in gang life on a London estate.