An Earnest Blackness by Eugen Bacon

(Anti-Oedipus Press, 2022)

Reviewed by Phil Nicholls

An Earnest Blackness is the debut collection of 12 non-fiction essays by Eugen Bacon, published by Anti-Oedipus Press, 2022. Her previous work includes three novels, all nominated for BSFA awards. Bacon is a multi-prize-winning author and her creative work has appeared in many magazines.

The opening lines of the first essay set the tone for much of the collection: “Decades after the ground-breaking work of authors such Toni Morrison, Samuel Delaney, and Octavia Butler, black speculative fiction is more visible and thriving than ever.” The heart of this collection is an overview of black speculative fiction, Afrofuturism, AfroSF and even slipstream writing, styles where “We can contemplate different, better futures.” Bacon offers good explorations of these labels across several essays but concedes that “There are problems with definitions.”

An explosion of competing labels around subgenres of black speculative fiction is both a benefit and a curse. The range and variety of terms is a reflection of growing interest in black genre writing and represents heightened exposure. However, such terms risk becoming flat or monolithic. “All terms led to black-people stories in speculative fiction and embodied the prospect of manifesting a new kind of storytelling.”

Despite her concern for the extent and limitations of these assorted terms, Bacon remains steadfast on the need for these categories as a vehicle to promote black fiction in all its forms. “Until more readers, publishers, agents, and literary-awards judges start paying attention to stories of inhabitation, multiple embodiments, and inclusivity across cultures, the rise of this calibre of fiction will linger in the margins.”

Bacon’s essays also explore beyond these subgenres of speculative fiction to broader cultural issues. In ‘The Benefit of Our Humanity’ she argues for a global future with a multiplicity of cultures where racism has been defeated. “Doing nothing is being complicit. Do better for black people. Do better for ethnic minorities. We are your friends, your partners, your colleagues.”

The conclusion to the essay captures the truth underpinning an entire movement: “Black lives matter—not because others don’t, but because others won’t if black lives don’t.” The simple, vivid capture of a broad philosophy in a single pithy phrase is the essence of a poet’s craft and evidence of her skill as a writer.

An Earnest Blackness includes several essays illustrating Bacon’s creative side. In ‘Worldbuilding in Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s The Perfect Nine’ Bacon “explores world-building through creation mythology, culture, nature, and the otherworldly while blending folklore, adventure and allegory.” The companion piece ‘African Creation Myths’ offers a more detailed review of myths. Both pieces are brimful of advice and cool imagery for any creative world-builder.

The final and longest essay is ‘Making Claiming T-Mo’, an extended overview of the novel which was the product of Bacon’s PhD in creative writing and published in 2019 by Meerkat Press. Bacon relates the creative journey of the novel, with feedback from her PhD examiners, excerpts from the finished text and onwards to eventual reviews of the published book.

All the essays are academic in style, complete with footnotes, quotations and bibliographies. Yet, Bacon maintains a friendly, chatty style. Reading this fascinating collection is like chatting with your smart best friend who wants to help you learn. If you enjoy the intelligent SF articles published in Vector, then you will enjoy An Earnest Blackness.

Bacon’s playful, creative style shines through in the screenplay-like delivery of ‘Inhabitation’. This essay struck me as the emotional heart of the collection, being a conversation between Bacon and her friend Genni. The pair discuss life as African Australians with great humour and insight.

Genni says: “Speculative fiction is a safe place to explore my dualities, my multiplicities.” This single phrase captures the essence of An Earnest Blackness, its duality as biography and theory, along with the multiplicity of the topics explored in such an insightful short collection.

Review from BSFA Review 18 - Download your copy here.