The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho : A Novel

Author / Creator

Joseph, Paterson, author, narrator

Summary

This program is read by the author, who also plays the lead role of Sancho in his play, Sancho: An Act of Remembrance. "To be able to speak these intimate words into a listener's ears is this write...

This program is read by the author, who also plays the lead role of Sancho in his play, Sancho: An Act of Remembrance. "To be able to speak these intimate words into a listener's ears is this writer-performer's dream. I have always loved the spoken word, as it strikes me as the purest form of performance. In public storytelling terms, it is perfection. From my lips to your ears-to your mind-to a personal, unforgettable picture formed as a memory. Whilst my absolute favorite is the written word for the conveying of story, the next best has to be the audiobook." -Paterson Joseph, author, The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho It's finally time for Charles Ignatius Sancho to tell his story, one that begins on a slave ship in the Atlantic and ends at the very center of London life. . . . A lush and immersive tale of adventure, artistry, romance, and freedom set in eighteenth-century England and based on a true story It's 1746 and Georgian London is not a safe place for a young Black man. Charles Ignatius Sancho must dodge slave catchers and worse, and his main ally-a kindly duke who taught him to write-is dying. Sancho is desperate and utterly alone. So how does the same Charles Ignatius Sancho meet the king, write and play highly acclaimed music, become the first Black person to vote in Britain, and lead the fight to end slavery? Through every moment of this rich, exuberant tale, Sancho forges ahead to see how much he can achieve in one short life: "I had little right to live, born on a slave ship where my parents both died. But I survived, and indeed, you might say I did more." A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company. Paterson Joseph is an award-winning actor who has been fascinated by Ignatius Sancho for many years. He wrote and starred in the play Sancho: An Act of Remembrance in 2018, which was staged in the UK as well as the US. A veteran of the stage, TV, and film, Paterson has appeared on The Mosquito Coast, an Apple TV+ original series; Doctor Who; Noughts + Crosses; and other BBC programs. The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho is his first novel. "It's a tough task for a writer to set themselves, but the care and research shine through in every chapter. This is a tragicomedy of the first order, and not to be missed." -The Guardian "Joseph channels the writing style of the day and draws on the real-life Sancho's diaries to give voice to his hero's rich interior life. Readers shouldn't miss this exhilarating and rewarding account of a man living at the cusp of world change." -Publishers Weekly, starred review "Paterson Joseph's Sancho is a joy to read as much for the riveting and full portrait of a historical figure's interior life as for the page-turning tale. Joseph navigates this wonderfully entertaining story with intelligence and verve. The real Sancho composed a life of music and service; Joseph renders his life as art." -Brendan Slocumb, author of The Violin Conspiracy and Symphony of Secrets "Paterson Joseph's The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho is a needed perspective of historical Black excellence on English soil. Witty and insightful, the novel is a critical perspective of what it means to want more and to become a master of one's destiny. Joseph gives life to the times, the politics, the friendships, and all aspects of a fully realized man, Ignatius Sancho. Crafted with care, respect, and the resolve to edu-tainment, Paterson Joseph does not disappoint in penning the story of a dignified man whose ascendency from enslaved to a wholly free British man needs to be known." -Vanessa Riley, award-winning author of Island Queen and Queen of Exiles "An absolutely thrilling, throat-catching wonder of a historical novel. In The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho, Paterson has given us a character for the ages. It's hard to overpraise this achievement. You might read it for its

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