Mr Loverman

Mr Loverman
First edition
AuthorBernardine Evaristo
LanguageEnglish
PublisherPenguin (UK);
Akashic Books (USA)
Publication dateAugust 2013 (UK);
April 2014 (USA)
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint (paperback)
ISBN978-1617752896
Preceded byHello Mum 
Followed byGirl, Woman, Other 

Mr Loverman is the seventh novel written by British-Nigerian author Bernardine Evaristo. Published by Penguin Books, UK, in 2013 and Akashic Books, US, in 2014, Mr Loverman explores the life of Britain's older Caribbean community, through the perspective of a 74-year-old Antiguan-Londoner and closet homosexual, and his wife Carmel whose voice we hear in alternate chapters.

Reception

The novel was positively reviewed in The Guardian. In 2014, Mr Loverman won the Jerwood Uncovered Prize.

In 2024, Bernardine Evaristo wrote in The Guardian about how she created Barrington's Caribbean voice and that Carmel's chapters were added to the novel at a late stage after feedback from the publisher.

TV adaptation

In June 2023, the BBC and Fable Pictures announced an adaptation of the novel into an eight-part television series. The series began broadcasting on 14 October 2024, and starred Lennie James, Ariyon Bakare and Sharon D. Clarke. In 2025, Lennie James won a BAFTA and the Royal Televsion Society Programme Award for his leading role. The BAFTA for supporting actor was awarded to Ariyon Bakare in the same year.

Theatre adaptation

A 2027 theatre adaptation has been announced to run between 25 February and 24 April 2027 at the Lyttelton Theatre, National Theatre in London, UK, featuring Danny Sapani as Barrington and Gary Beadle as Morris, directed by Paulette Randall, in an adaptation by Natasha Gordon of Bernardine Evaristo's acclaimed novel.

References

  1. ↑ Evaristo, Bernardine. Mr Loverman. Penguin Books. Archived from the original on 18 August 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  2. ↑ Evaristo, Bernardine. Mr. Loverman. Akashic Books. Archived from the original on 18 August 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  3. ↑ "Books". The Bernardine Evaristo website. Archived from the original on 5 August 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  4. ↑ Gee, Maggie (31 August 2013). "Mr Loverman Review". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  5. ↑ "Jerwood Foundation". Jerwood Prize website. Archived from the original on 18 August 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  6. ↑ Evaristo, Bernardine (12 October 2024). "'I had a crush on him': Bernardine Evaristo on writing Mr Loverman". The Guardian.
  7. ↑ "BBC announces new drama Mr Loverman, starring Lennie James and adapted from the novel by Bernardine Evaristo". BBC. 6 June 2023. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  8. ↑ Mangan, Lucy (14 October 2024). "Mr Loverman review – magnificent TV that will tear your heart open". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  9. ↑ Tate, Gabriel (4 November 2024). "Mr Loverman, finale review: a fittingly messy and heart-rending end to a fantastic drama". The Telegraph. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  10. ↑ Loffhagen, Emma (9 May 2025). "'There's a battle going on for the soul of America': actor Lennie James on political turmoil, zombie terrors and being a black Brit in the US". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  11. ↑ "Mr Loverman - National Theatre". National Theatre. Retrieved 10 September 2026.


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