This is London

This is London in the eyes of its beggars, bankers, coppers, gangsters, carers, witch-doctors and sex workers. This is London in the voices of Arabs, Afghans, Nigerians, Poles, Romanians and Russians.This is London as you've never seen it before.Longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-fiction 2016Shortlisted for the Ryszard Kapuscinski Award for Literary Reportage 2019'An eye-opening investigation into the hidden immigrant life of the city' Sunday Times'Full of nuggets of unexpected information about the lives of others . . . It recalls the journalism of Orwell' Financial Times'Ben Judah grabs hold of London and shakes out its secrets' The Economist

It is hard to overstate the value of what Judah has done . . . This is London is an important and impressive book, A revelatory work, full of nuggets of unexpected information about the lives of others . . . [Judah] is a fine, intrepid reporter, Judah has succeeded in opening reader's eyes to the hardships experienced by many and ignored by most, This is of my favourite books on London, largely because of the quality of the writing – such sass, such soaring confidence and style . . . Judah listens and observes with acute loyalty to depicting truth, so that no matter who’s talking, the dialogue seems brilliantly accurate. Well researched, it covers all corners of London in forensic detail, An epic account of London as a place where global migrants come to scratch a subsistence living or, occasionally, spend a shady fortune. We are far, far beyond the Windrush generation here. Arabs, Afghans, Nigerians, Poles, Romanians and Russians pour out their stories – often terrifying, mostly sad, occasionally funny – while Judah writes it all down in compulsive, shocking detail. We’re back in Mayhew’s London, but now watercress sellers and mudlarks have been replaced by sleepy Africans catching the early morning night bus to their office cleaning jobs four zones over on the other side of town.

Ben Judah was born in London. He has travelled widely in Russia, Central Asia and the Levant. His writing has featured widely, including the New York Times, the Evening Standard, the Financial Times and Standpoint. In 2016, Ben was chosen as one of Forbes magazine's 30 under 30 in European media. His first book, Fragile Empire, was published by Yale University Press in 2013.

Book Partnerships

For the Fans