Stay for Detention

The Magic City has such little experience with the tragedies and tribulations of asylum seekers. So it’s lucky that British author Chris Cleave will come to town to read from his novel Little Bee, which tells the story of a young Nigerian immigrant seeking refuge in England. Cleave is a...

By Amanda McCorquodale

March 11, 2010

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The Magic City has such little experience with the tragedies and tribulations of asylum seekers. So it’s lucky that British author Chris Cleave will come to town to read from his novel Little Bee, which tells the story of a young Nigerian immigrant seeking refuge in England. Cleave is a Guardian columnist who writes about the dramas of parenthood — like table manners and story time. But more serious matters, such as national identity and civic responsibility, have been nagging at him ever since he worked in a British detention center when he was a young man. Perhaps he’d like to visit our maxed-out Krome to see how we mistreat immigrants on this side of the Atlantic.

Cleave’s first novel, Incendiary, won the 2006 Somerset Maugham Award, and BBC Films has acquired the film rights to Little Bee, with Nicole Kidman slated as star and producer. Depending on your Hollywood preferences, that’s either a tease or a warning.
Mon., March 22, 8 p.m., 2010

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