Amon Saba Saakana (born 1948), formerly known as Sebastian Clarke, is a

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...

-born writer, journalist, lecturer, filmmaker and publisher, who migrated to Britain in 1965. In the 1970s, he founded the publishing imprint Karnak House in London. As an author, his books encompass poetry, fiction, literary criticism, and works on cultural and historical topics.

Biography

Education and early career

Born Sebastian Clarke in

, he migrated as a teenager in 1965 with his six siblings to England, where their parents had come to work in a London factory. He studied playwriting at Mountview Theatre School (1966–1967), began visiting

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1968 and connecting with Caribbeans and Africans there, then for four years from 1970 he lived in the United States, going there at the invitation of

Ed Bullins Edward Artie Bullins (July 2, 1935November 13, 2021), sometimes publishing as Kingsley B. Bass Jr, was an American playwright. He won awards including the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award and several Obie Awards. Bullins was associated wit ...

, who had been in London for the production of some of his plays. In a 2019 interview Saakana said: "Bullins also got me a job at Marymount College, a girls' school, as a drama tutor, and also got me a job as assistant editor at the New York Festival Public Theatre which went into publishing two drama journals, one for play scripts, the other for reviews, features, interviews and performance." On returning in 1974 to London from the US, where he had also been inspired by the theatre work of

LeRoi Jones Amiri Baraka (born Everett Leroy Jones; October 7, 1934 – January 9, 2014), previously known as LeRoi Jones and Imamu Amear Baraka, was an American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays, and music criticism. He was the author of numerous b ...

(later Amiri Baraka), Saakana became a contributor to the drama magazine '' Plays & Players'', and one of his plays, ''Soul of the Nation'', was produced at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

in 1975, and ]moved to

the Roundhouse The Roundhouse is a performing arts and concert venue at the Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England. The building was erected in 1846–1847 by the London & North Western Railway as a roundhouse, a circ ...

for a two-week run. Saakana was part of what Paul Breman described as "London's very active black literature scene of the early 1970s", which included the

Caribbean Artists Movement The Caribbean Artists Movement (CAM) was an influential cultural initiative, begun in London, England, in 1966 and active until about 1972,Time Out'', the ''

New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...

'', ''

New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a " rock inkie", the ''NME'' would become a maga ...

'', ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

'', ''

Sounds In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the br ...

'', ''

Black Echoes ''Black Echoes'' is a Jamaican music show which has been broadcasting on radio in Dublin, Ireland. The show airs a range of music, including reggae, ska, rock-steady and dub. The show is presented and produced by John Public. The show broadca ...

'', ''

Caribbean Times ''The Caribbean Times'' was a British weekly newspaper that was first published in 1981 by Hansib Publications, a publishing house for Caribbean, African and Asian writers and their communities, founded in London by Guyanese-born businessman A ...

'', ''

Race Today ''Race Today'' was a monthly (later bimonthly) British political magazine. Launched in 1969 by the Institute of Race Relations, it was from 1973 published by the ''Race Today'' Collective, which included figures such as Darcus Howe, Farrukh Dh ...

'', '' The New African'', and he was the founding editor of the journal ''Frontline''. He also contributed to other international publications including ''

Essence Essence () has various meanings and uses for different thinkers and in different contexts. It is used in philosophy and theology as a designation for the property (philosophy), property or set of properties or attributes that make an entity the ...

'', ''

The Amsterdam News The ''Amsterdam News'' (also known as ''New York Amsterdam News'') is a weekly Black-owned newspaper serving New York City. It is one of the oldest newspapers geared toward African Americans in the United States and has published columns by s ...

'', '' Crawdaddy'', ''

Présence Africaine ''Présence Africaine'' (French for ''African Presence'') is a pan-African quarterly cultural, political, and literary magazine, published in Paris, France, and founded by Alioune Diop in 1947. In 1949, ''Présence Africaine'' expanded to include ...

'', ''

UNESCO Courier ''UNESCO Courier'' is the main magazine published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). It has the largest and widest-ranging readership of all the journals published by the United Nations and its spe ...

'', ''

Trinidad Newsday ''Trinidad and Tobago Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in Trinidad and Tobago. ''Newsday'' is the newest of the three daily papers after the ''Trinidad and Tobago Guardian'' and the ''Trinidad and Tobago Express'' respectively. The newspaper was fo ...

'', and ''Bendel Times'' (Nigeria). His contribution towards the making of the BBC TV documentary ''Reggae'' (1971), directed by

Horace Ové Sir Horace Shango Ové (born Horace Courtenay Jones; 3 December 1936 – 16 September 2023) was a Trinidadian-born British filmmaker, photographer, painter and writer based in London, England. One of the leading black independent filmmakers to ...

, led Saakana to write his first nonfiction book, ''Jah Music: The Development of Jamaica Popular Music'' (1980), which was the first history of Jamaican popular music. In 1982 he earned a Diploma of Higher Education in Caribbean Studies from the

University of East London University of East London (UEL) is a public university located in the London Borough of Newham, London, England, based at three campuses in Stratford, London, Stratford and London Docklands, Docklands, following the opening of University Squar ...

, followed by an MA in Caribbean literature from the same university (1988). His master's thesis was subsequently published as ''Colonialism & the Destruction of the Mind: Psychosocial issues of race, sexuality, class and gender in the novels of Roy Heath'' (1997). Saakana also studied at the

School of Oriental and African Studies The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury area ...

and at

Goldsmiths College, University of London Goldsmiths, University of London, formerly Goldsmiths College, University of London, is a constituent research university of the University of London. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by ...

, where in 1995 he obtained his Ph.D. in Drama & Cultural Studies. He received a certificate (distinction) and diploma (merit) in Egyptian Archaeology from the

Institute of Archaeology, University College London UCL's Institute of Archaeology is an academic department of the Social & Historical Sciences Faculty of University College London (UCL) which it joined in 1986 having previously been a school of the University of London. It is currently one of ...

(1996–1998).

Karnak House

In 1975, Saakana founded the publishing company Karnak House, initially as Caribbean Cultural International (CCI), "an organization of writers and artists coming together to create a new platform for the work of Caribbean and Black British writers and artists in Britain." CCI was inspired by the work of

Amiri Baraka Amiri Baraka (born Everett Leroy Jones; October 7, 1934 – January 9, 2014), previously known as LeRoi Jones and Imamu Amear Baraka, was an American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays, and music criticism. He was the author of numerous b ...

, who founded a facility known as Spirit House in Newark, New Jersey. Saakana sought out a four-storey rent-free building from the

Notting Hill Housing Trust Notting Hill Genesis (NHG) is a housing association formed in April 2018 by the merger of Notting Hill Housing Trust, Notting Hill Housing and Genesis Housing Association. Notting Hill Genesis’ primary purpose is to work in the community to ...

and turned it into an arts centre, located since 1977 in Westbourne Park Road, Notting Hill, and renamed as Karnak House. The centre "soon transcended its regional perspective and included work by Africans in any geographical location as well as progressive Europeans of any nationality, a model well preceded by Society of African Culture in Paris." Karnak House put on exhibitions, conducted classes in African languages and organized lectures as well as conferences, involving a wide range of creatives and intellectuals from the African diaspora, including Alem Mezgebe, Emmanuel Jegede, Charles Sambono, Babatunde Banjoko, Seheri Sujai,

Errol Lloyd Errol Lloyd (born 1943)"Errol Lloyd. Born 1943 in Jamaica"

, Lance Watson, Norman Reid, and Vernon St. Hilaire. Karnak House began publishing in 1979. Its stated objectives are "to continuously locate and publish books by Caribbean and African writers in the field of creative fiction and poetry" and "to renew and reinterpret African civilizations through the prism of Africans themselves or progressive writers of any ethnic background." The imprint's first publication was ''New Planet'', an anthology including both new and previously published poets such as
John La Rose John La Rose (27 December 1927 – 28 February 2006) was a political and cultural activist, poet, writer, publisher, founder in 1966 of New Beacon Books, the first specialist Caribbean publishing company in Britain, and subsequently Chairman of ...
,
Kamau Brathwaite Edward Kamau Brathwaite, CHB (; 11 May 1930 – 4 February 2020), was a Barbadian poet and academic, widely considered one of the major voices in the Caribbean literary canon.Staff (2011)"Kamau Brathwaite." New York University, Department of Co ...
and Marc Matthews. Among notable titles that Saakana has published is ''I is a Long-memoried Woman'' by
Grace Nichols Grace Nichols (born 1950) is a Guyanese poet who moved to Britain in 1977, before which she worked as a teacher and journalist in Guyana. Her first collection, ''I is a Long-Memoried Woman'' (1983), won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize. In Decemb ...
, which won the
Commonwealth Poetry Prize The Commonwealth Poetry Prize was an annual poetry prize established in 1972, for a first published book of English poetry from a country other than the United Kingdom. It was initially administered jointly by the Commonwealth Institute and the Nat ...
in 1983. Karnak House authors have also included
Cheikh Anta Diop Cheikh Anta Diop (29 December 1923 – 7 February 1986) was a Senegalese historian, anthropologist, physicist, and politician who studied the human race's origins and pre-colonial African culture. Diop's work is considered foundational to the the ...
,
Hilary Beckles Sir Hilary McDonald Beckles KA (born 11 August 1955) is a Barbadian historian. He is the current vice-chancellor of the University of the West Indies (UWI) and chairman of the CARICOM Reparations Commission. Educated at the University of Hul ...
, Ifi Amadiume,
Imruh Bakari Imruh Bakari (Ishaq Imruh Bakari) is a film maker and writer born in 1950 on St Kitts, who is also referred to as Imruh Bakari Caesar or Imruh Caesar.
,
Jan Knappert Jan Knappert (January 14, 1927, Heemstede – May 30, 2005, Hilversum, Netherlands) was a well-known expert on the Swahili language. He was also an Esperantist, and he wrote an Esperanto-Swahili dictionary. Life and career Knappert translated ma ...
,
Yosef Ben-Jochannan Yosef Alfredo Antonio Ben-Jochannan (; December 31, 1918 – March 19, 2015), commonly referred to as "Dr. Ben", was an American writer and historian. He was considered to be one of the more prominent Afrocentric scholars by some Black Nationa ...
, Maureen Warner-Lewis, Théophile Obenga, and Jacob Carruthers. In 1985, Karnak House organised its first major international conference under the title ''The Afrikan Origin of Civilization'', which featured
Cheikh Anta Diop Cheikh Anta Diop (29 December 1923 – 7 February 1986) was a Senegalese historian, anthropologist, physicist, and politician who studied the human race's origins and pre-colonial African culture. Diop's work is considered foundational to the the ...
as the primary speaker, along with Ivan Van Sertima, and Carlos Moore. This led to Diop being brought to the US, being granted the key to the city of
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
by Mayor
Andrew Young Andrew Jackson Young Jr. (born March 12, 1932) is an American politician, diplomat, and activist. Beginning his career as a pastor, Young was an early leader in the civil rights movement, serving as executive director of the Southern Christia ...
, and receiving wide coverage for his visit. The continuing difficulties facing Black publishing houses such as Karnak House,
New Beacon Books New Beacon Books is a British publishing house, bookshop, and international book service that specializes in Black British, Caribbean, African, African-American and Asian literature. Founded in 1966 by John La Rose and Sarah White, it was the ...
and others, including access to coverage on the books pages of the mainstream press, were highlighted by Saakana in a 1988 ''
Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' article, which concludes: "Whatever the problems that have confronted the black press in London, it has injected into the mainstream an imaginative and dramatic body of diverse literature. ... Perhaps, then, indigenous black publishers have stirred the imagination of the mainstream and created an atmosphere, through conferences, forums, book fairs, etc., in which the black writer can be seen as an economic asset to a previously flagging British publishing industry." Alongside his work as commissioning editor of Karnak House, Saakana is an independent scholar and does research in Philosophy, Literary Theory and African World Literatures.

Writing
Saakana's own books include poetry collections, the first study on Jamaican popular music, entitled ''Jah Music'' (1980), a 1985 novel ''Blues Dance'' (reviewing which
Polly Toynbee Mary Louisa "Polly" Toynbee (; born 27 December 1946) is a British journalist and writer. She has been a columnist for ''The Guardian'' newspaper since 1998. She is a social democrat and was a candidate for the Social Democratic Party in the 19 ...
wrote in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'': "It is a harrowing book, bloody and violent, frightening and often mystifying, but through it all there is a surprising kind of optimism"), and works of literary criticism such as ''The Colonial Legacy in Caribbean Literature'', as well a notable work on Guyanese novelist Roy A. K. Heath, entitled ''Colonialism and the Destruction of the Mind'' (1997).

As lecturer
Saakana has lectured at many educational institutions in Britain and the US, including the
University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of ...
,
University of Keele Keele University is a public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, it was granted university status by Royal Charter as ...
,
Goldsmiths, University of London Goldsmiths, University of London, formerly Goldsmiths College, University of London, is a constituent research university of the University of London. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by ...
, the
Institute of Education The UCL Institute of Education (IOE) is the faculty of education and society of University College London (UCL). It specialises in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and is one of UCL's 11 constituent faculties. Prior t ...
,
University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hu ...
,
Leicester University The University of Leicester ( ) is a public research university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park. The university's predecessor, University College, Leicester, gained university ...
,
University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of ...
,
University of Essex The University of Essex is a public university, public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, it is one of the original plate glass university, plate glass universities. The university comprises three camp ...
,
Reading University The University of Reading is a public research university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as the University Extension College, Reading, an extension college of Christchurch College, Oxford, and became University College, ...
;
City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...
, Manhattan Community College,
Staten Island Community College Staten may refer to: ;People *Randy Staten (1944-2010), American politician and football player * Roy N. Staten (1913–1999), American politician ;Places *Staten Island, a borough of New York City, New York, United States *Staten, West Virginia ...
,
Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...
,
Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...
,
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
, and the
University of North London The University of North London (UNL) was a university in London, England, formed from the Polytechnic of North London (PNL) in 1992 when that institution was granted university status. PNL, in turn, had been formed by the amalgamation of the No ...
. He also lectured at the
College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago The College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT) is a public, multi-campus college in Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost islan ...
.

Media work
Saakana directed and produced the films ''Texturing the Word: 40 Years of Caribbean Writing in Britain'' (1985, featuring
George Lamming George William Lamming OCC (8 June 19274 June 2022) was a Barbadian novelist, essayist, and poet. He first won critical acclaim for '' In the Castle of My Skin'', his 1953 debut novel. He also held academic posts, including as a distinguished ...
, Edward Brathwaite,
Roy Heath Roy Aubrey Kelvin Heath (13 August 1926 – 14 May 2008) was a Guyanese writer who settled in the UK, where he lived for five decades, working as a schoolteacher as well as writing. His 1978 novel '' The Murderer'' won the ''Guardian'' Fictio ...
,
Linton Kwesi Johnson Linton Kwesi Johnson Order of Distinction, OD (born 24 August 1952), also known as LKJ, is a Jamaica-born, British-based dub poetry, dub poet and activist. In 2002, he became the second living poet, and the only black one, to be published in th ...
,
Grace Nichols Grace Nichols (born 1950) is a Guyanese poet who moved to Britain in 1977, before which she worked as a teacher and journalist in Guyana. Her first collection, ''I is a Long-Memoried Woman'' (1983), won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize. In Decemb ...
, Marc Matthews), and ''Ida's Daughter: The World of
Eintou Pearl Springer Eintou Pearl Springer (formerly Pearl Eintou Springer) (born Cantaro village, Santa Cruz, Trinidad, 24 November 1944) is a poet, playwright, librarian and cultural activist from Trinidad and Tobago. In May 2002, she was named Poet Laureate of Po ...
'' (2010). He has also worked in various capacities on productions for the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
and
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...
.

Selected bibliography
* ''Sun-Song'' (poetry), Paul Breman Ltd, 1973 * (As Sebastian Clarke; editor) ''New Planet: Anthology of Modern Caribbean Writing'', Karnak House, 1978 * (As Sebastian Clarke) ''Jah Music: The Evolution of the Jamaican Popular Song'',
Heinemann Educational Books William Heinemann Ltd., with the imprint Heinemann, was a London-based publisher founded in 1890 by William Heinemann. Their first published book, 1890's ''The Bondman'', was a huge success in the United Kingdom and launched the company. He was j ...
, 1980, * ''Blues Dance'' (novel), Karnak House, 1985 * ''Tones & Colours'' (poetry), Karnak House, 1985 * ''The Colonial Legacy in Caribbean Literature'' (Preface by
Ngugi Wa Thiong’o Ngugi or Ngũgĩ is a name of Kikuyu origin that may refer to: * Ngugi wa Mirii (1951–2008), Kenyan playwright *Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (born 1938), Kenyan writer * David Mwaniki Ngugi, Kenyan politician and member of the National Assembly of Kenya * ...
), Karnak House, 1987 * ''Colonialism & the Destruction of the Mind: Psycho-social Issues of Race, Religion, Sexuality & Gender in the Novels of Roy Heath'', Karnak House, 1997 * ''God In The Song of Birds'' (poetry), 2016 * ''Djehuty/Hermes: Foundational Philosopher In The Italian Renaissance'', Karnak House, 2020, .

References

External links

Official website

''Chestnut Tree Cafe'', 24 February 2013. * B. C. Pires
"I is a long marooned man"
''
Trinidad and Tobago Newsday ''Trinidad and Tobago Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in Trinidad and Tobago. ''Newsday'' is the newest of the three daily papers after the ''Trinidad and Tobago Guardian'' and the '' Trinidad and Tobago Express'' respectively. The newspaper was f ...
'', 22 February 2021. * Asar Imhotep
"Interview: Amon Saba Saakana (Karnak House Publishing)"
5 January 2021. {{DEFAULTSORT:Saakana, Amon Saba 1948 births Living people 20th-century male writers 20th-century novelists Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London Alumni of the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts Alumni of SOAS University of London Alumni of the UCL Institute of Archaeology Anthologists Black British academics Black British journalists Book publishing company founders British filmmakers British publishers (people) Trinidad and Tobago male non-fiction writers Trinidad and Tobago academics Trinidad and Tobago dramatists and playwrights Trinidad and Tobago emigrants to the United Kingdom Trinidad and Tobago novelists Trinidad and Tobago non-fiction writers Trinidad and Tobago poets

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