To date he has published ten novels and written two screenplays, numerous short stories, several books of fiction for children, and many plays for radio and television. But even if he had written nothing else, A Brighter Sun (1952) and The Lonely Londoners (1956) assure him a permanent place in the history of West Indian literature.
The Lonely Londoners is an exploration of clashing cultures. The novel takes place during the years following World War II. The Lonely Londoners portrays in a humorous manner the experience of the expatriate West Indians in London. It deals directly with the immigrant experience, in this case a diverse assortment of men who moved to London from the West Indies in the 1950s. Even though they are "British .
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subjects", they are met with open hostility and racism and each deals with it in a different way(Carlisle).
The Lonely Londoners chronicles the lives of Moses Aloetta, one of the earliest to come, and the group of male friends who surround him. In a series of compelling episodes involving the search for dignified work, reasonable housing, admist the tribulations of finding their footing in the great city of London, and establishing meaningful relationships, we follow the antics of men like "Big City", Captain, Sir Galahad, Tolroy, Daniel, Five and Harris. These characters are largely drawn with broad brush strokes yet there is a realness, a humanity to them, which is rather astonishing, given their rather cartoonish quality. But they work because they are real archetypes. Each characters embodies a number of general qualities.