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C. L. R. James

シー・エル・アール・ジェイムズ

C. L. R. James

Aliases: J. R. Johnson / Nello James / Cyril Lionel Robert James
Pen Names: J. R. Johnson（Pseudonym used in socialist publications, notably for columns such as "The Negro Question".）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1901-01-04 （Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago）
Died
1989-05-31 （Brixton, London, England） age 88
Nationality
Trinidad and Tobago
Languages
English
Residence History
Tunapuna (Trinidad) → Port of Spain (Trinidad) → Nelson, Lancashire (England) → London (England) → New York (United States) → Brixton, London (England) → Trinidad (funeral and memorial events)

Career

Occupations
historian, writer, journalist, political activist, playwright, cricket writer
Active Years
1918-1989
Affiliations
Johnson–Forest Tendency, Independent Labour Party (ILP), Revolutionary Socialist League, Correspondence Publishing Committee
Influenced By
Leon Trotsky, George Padmore, Karl Marx
Influenced
Scholars and activists in postcolonial studies (broad influence), Cricket writers and commentators, Selma James (political collaborator)

Education

Queen's Royal College
English and History (secondary)
Period: 1910–1918
Year of Graduation: 1918
Country: Trinidad and Tobago
Won a scholarship; after graduation taught English and History at the same school.

Awards

Honorary Doctorate (South Bank Polytechnic)
Organization: London South Bank University (formerly South Bank Polytechnic)
Result: 授与
PEN Oakland – Josephine Miles Award
2024
Work: Toussaint Louverture (graphic novel adaptation by Nic Watts and Sakina Karimjee)
Organization: PEN Oakland
Result: 受賞
Commission for Racial Equality (Race in the Media Award)
1999
Work: Minty Alley (radio dramatisation)
Organization: Commission for Racial Equality
Result: 受賞（ドラマ化作品への授賞）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Black Jacobins

1938 history (revolutionary history)

A historical study of the Haitian Revolution (Toussaint Louverture and the San Domingo revolution), a seminal work on the African diaspora and revolutionary struggle.

colonialism and revoltslavery and emancipationleadership and mass agency
Adaptations
  • [theatre / stage] The Black Jacobins (stage) (1986)

Beyond a Boundary

1963 memoir / sports writing

Using cricket as its central thread, the book interweaves autobiography with social, cultural and political reflections on class, race and empire.

sports and societyrace and classpersonal history and culture
Adaptations
  • [documentary film] Beyond a Boundary (documentary) / Mike Dibb (1976)

Minty Alley

1936 novel (fiction)

An early novel set in a Trinidadian community; considered one of the first novels by a black Caribbean author published in Britain.

community and everyday lifecolonial social hierarchies
Adaptations
  • [radio drama] Minty Alley (BBC radio) / Margaret Busby（制作） (1998)

World Revolution

1937 political history

A study of the rise and decline of the Communist International; it provoked discussion within Trotskyist circles.

international communist movementparty and strategy

Toussaint Louverture: The Story of the Only Successful Slave Revolt in History

1934 play (theatre)

A three-act play about the Haitian Revolution, staged in London in 1936; notable for featuring black professional actors. Recently adapted as a graphic novel.

revolutionslavery and liberationleadership and the masses
Adaptations
  • [graphic novel] Toussaint Louverture (graphic novel) / Nic Watts / Sakina Karimjee（作画・脚色） (2023)

Bibliography

  • The Life of Captain Cipriani
  • Minty Alley
  • World Revolution
  • The Black Jacobins
  • Beyond a Boundary
  • Mariners, Renegades and Castaways
  • Nkrumah and the Ghana Revolution
  • Notes on Dialectics

Adaptations

  • Beyond a Boundary (1976 documentary)
  • Toussaint Louverture (2023 graphic novel)
  • Minty Alley (1998 BBC radio drama)
  • The Black Jacobins (stage adaptations)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Marxist analysis combined with historical narrationmix of autobiographical elements and social critiqueclear, persuasive, often conversational rhetoric
Recurring Motifs
critique of empire and colonialismself-organised action of the massessocial observation through sport (especially cricket)

Health

  • chest infection (cause of death)
    1989
    Died in 1989 of a chest infection; brought an end to his late-life activities.

Legacy

C. L. R. James left a wide-ranging legacy across Marxist political thought, postcolonial studies and cricket writing. Key works such as The Black Jacobins and Beyond a Boundary are highly regarded academically and culturally; his influence continues via libraries, institutes, stage productions and documentaries.

Museums

  • Nello James Centre Whalley Range, Manchester
  • Dalston C. L. R. James Library (with permanent exhibition) Dalston, Hackney, London Opened in 2012

Academic Societies

  • C. L. R. James Institute

Archives

  • Alma Jordan Library (University of the West Indies) collection
  • Columbia University Libraries (C. L. R. James papers)

In Popular Culture

  • 1976 BBC documentary based on Beyond a Boundary
  • Brief appearance in Steve McQueen's Mangrove (2020), portrayed by Derek Griffiths
  • 2016 feature-length documentary Every Cook Can Govern

Quotes

  • "What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?" — James uses this challenge to explore cricket's social and cultural meanings.
    Source: Beyond a Boundary (preface) (1963)

Trivia

  • The 1936 play Toussaint Louverture was one of the first London productions written by a black playwright to feature black professional actors.
  • Minty Alley is regarded as one of the earliest novels by a black Caribbean writer published in Britain.
  • A blue plaque commemorates C. L. R. James at his Brixton address in London.