A Black Boy at Eton

A powerful insider exposéon the inherent, systemic racism present at Eton in the 1960s from one the first black students to attend. Part of the Black Britain Writing Back reissue series curated by Bernardine Evaristo.

Dillibe was the second black boy to study at Eton - joining in 1965 - and the first to complete his education there.

Written at just 21, this is a deeply personal, revelatory account of the racism he endured during his time as a student at the prestigious institution. He tells in vivid detail of his own background as the son of a Nigerian judge at the International Court of Justice at The Hague, of his arrival at the school, of the curriculum, of his reception by other boys (and masters), and of his punishments. He tells, too, of the cruel racial prejudice and his reactions to it, and of the alienation and stereotyping he faced at such a young age.

A Black Boy at Eton is a searing, ground-breaking book displaying the deep psychological effects of colonialism and racism.

Selected by Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo, this series rediscovers and celebrates pioneering books depicting black Britain that remap the nation.

Dillibe Onyeama is a Nigerian author and publishing executive, who founded the publishing company Delta Publications (Nigeria) Limited. In 1968, he became the first Black person to finish their studies at Eton College, and went on to attend The Writers' School of Great Britain. He has published twenty-eight books - both fiction and non-fiction - covering a wide range of subjects, including biography, education and self-improvement. He lives and works in his native Enugu, in south-east Nigeria.

Bernardine Evaristo is the author of Girl, Woman, Other, for which she became the first Black woman to win the Booker Prize, and the curator of the Black Britain Writing Back series.