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In 1858, the Duke of Kent arrives at Southampton Docks bearing cargo and passengers from Lisbon. Disembarking with his companion, a young African, sailor William Targett arrives in Dorset with a secret. As his attempts to stay at a local inn are met with racism, his plan for a new life unravels. The Sailor’s Return is a novel by David Garnett.
About the author
David Garnett (1892-1981) was a British writer. Born in Brighton, East Sussex, Garnett was the son of Edward Garnett, a critic and publisher, and Constance Clara Black, a translator of Russian known for bringing the works of Chekhov and Dostoevsky to an English audience. A pacifist, he spent the years of the First World War as a conscientious objector working on fruit farms along the eastern coast England. As a member of the Bloomsbury Group, he befriended many of the leading artists and intellectuals of his day. After publishing his debut novel,
Dope Darling (1918), under a pseudonym, he won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for
Lady into Fox (1922), an allegorical fantasy novel. His 1955 novel
Aspects of Love was adapted into a musical of the same name by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Alongside poet Francis Meynell, Garnett founded the Nonesuch Press, an independent publisher known for its editions of classic novels, poetry collections, and children's books. Garnett, a bisexual man, had relationships with fellow Bloomsbury Group members Francis Birrell and Duncan Grant, and was married twice in his life. Following the death of his first wife Ray, with whom he had two sons, Grant married Angelica Bell, the daughter of Grant and Vanessa Bell, whose sister was renowned novelist Virginia Woolf. Together, the Garnetts raised four daughters, three of whom went on to careers in the arts. Following his divorce from Angelica, Garnett spent the rest of his life in Montcuq, France.
Summary
The Sailor’s Return (1925) is a novel by David Garnett. Published several years after Garnett was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Hawthornden Prize for Lady into Fox (1922), his fourth novel explores themes of race and empire while showcasing the author’s original—and often controversial—literary style. “He was in no hurry to go ashore, and waited half an hour for the confusion to be straightened out on board, and the turmoil to subside on land, before he motioned to the young negro who accompanied him to bear a hand with a large basket of woven grass.” Arriving home in Dorset, England aboard the Duke of Kent, mariner William Targett brings a young African woman and child with him. Soon, the hostile townspeople discover that the woman is not only William’s wife, but that he is the father of her child. Despite their love, despite their attempts to live peacefully, the racist attitudes of Targett’s countrymen make it impossible to live safely in England, and soon lead to unspeakable tragedy. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of David Garnett’s The Sailor’s Return is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.
