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.”

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Review from BSFA Review 18 - Download your copy here.