Margaret Busby has been at the heart of cultural life in the UK for over 50 years. From becoming Britain’s youngest and first Black woman publisher when she founded publishing house Allison & Busby, to editing the ground-breaking international anthologies Daughters of Africa and New Daughters of Africa, her many achievements are testament to her dedication to championing the lives and stories of others, particularly those throughout the world who have been marginalised by the mainstream.
With little attention previously given to her own skills as a writer, Part of the Story is a unique opportunity to enjoy her own remarkable literary output. It brings together her writings on people, places, politics and publishing, and provides a rich insight into the many elements that have contributed to shaping her life, from her childhood in Ghana to the Black writers, intellectuals, artists and activists she has worked with, befriended, supported and championed for over half a century.
Margaret has been a cheerleader, instigator, organiser, defender and celebrator of black arts for the past 50 years, shouting about us from the rooftops, even back when few people cared to listen . . . We can because she did is a cliché but in Margaret's case it is both true and no exaggeration. She helped change the landscape of both UK publishing and arts coverage and so many Black British artists owe her a debt. I know I do
Zadie Smith
Her ongoing contribution to our literary culture, often as a lone pilot in the early days has deep roots . . . Powerful, self-contained, pragmatic and visionary, she refused to let barriers stop her from pursuing a career in literature. As a pioneer, a trailblazer, and someone who has made history, she laid the ground for subsequent generations . . . For all the plaudits and her substantial, long-standing, consistent and hugely impressive career, Margaret remains one of the nicest people on the literary scene
Bernardin Evaristo
Britain's first black female publisher revolutionised literature – and never gave up . . . In her 20s, she set up her own company, publishing everyone from James Ellroy to the Worst Witch series, and changing Britain for the better, book by book . . . Her account [of publishing the first Allison & Busby book, The Spook Who Sat By the Door by Sam Greenlee] tells you much about Busby herself: her persistence; her appreciation of a quiet character who turns out to be radically subversive; her instinct that a thriller could carry a serious political argument as easily as a polemic; and, yes, her bravery
Guardian
Margaret Busby is a legend of British publishing . . . She championed important writers from a wide range of communities at a time no one else was doing so. Her taste was impeccable and she helped widen the scope of literatures available to the nation. She represents the fairness, good taste, and inclusivity that are qualities that ought to be part of the future of British publishing
Ben Okri
A trailblazer as well as an enlightener on all matters African . . . [Part of the Story] provides us with a rich insight into the writings and lives of great historical figures like CRL James and novelists like Roy Heath and several others with Caribbean, Afro-American or African Heritage
Nuruddin Farah
About Margaret Busby
Margaret Busby CBE, Hon. FRSL (Nana Akua Ackon) is a major cultural figure around the world. Her career has spanned work as a publisher, editor, interviewer, reviewer, scriptwriter, lyricist, radio and TV presenter, activist and mentor. She has judged prestigious literary prizes, including the Booker, and served on the boards of such organisations as the Royal Literary Fund, Wasafiri magazine, Tomorrow’s Warriors, and the Africa Centre in London. She has been a guest on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. In 2023 she was appointed President of English PEN.
She became Britain’s then youngest and first Black woman publisher when she co-founded Allison & Busby in the 1960s. As A&B’s editorial director for twenty years, she published an international list of more than 300 notable authors, including Sam Greenlee, James Ellroy, Michèle Roberts, Roy Heath, Michael Horowitz, Buchi Emecheta, Chester Himes, Hunter S. Thompson, George Lamming, Michelangelo, and Jill Murphy.
She has edited two ground-breaking anthologies that together champion the work of more than 400 women of African descent over several centuries: the publication of Daughters of Africa (1992) changed the literary landscape; its sequel, New Daughters of Africa (2019), seeded and launched the Margaret Busby New Daughters of Africa Award, which annually funds a woman student from Africa to study at SOAS, University of London.
Margaret Busby is also the editor of Firespitter; the Collected Poems of Jayne Cortez. She has written numerous dramatizations and radio abridgements of books by, among others, Jean Rhys, Wole Soyinka, Walter Mosely, and Henry Louis Gates. She has saved writers such as CLR James and George Lamming from obscurity by reprinting their work and introducing them to new readers. She was a founding member of Greater Access to Publishing (GAP), which campaigned for greater diversity in the publishing industry. Her reviews and obituaries for the Guardian and other newspapers and magazines have celebrated the lives and work of many international personalities.
She is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and recipient of multiple honorary doctorates and awards, including the London Book Fair Lifetime Achievement Award, the Bocas Henry Swanzy Award, the Royal Society of Literature’s Benson Medal, and the Royal African Society’s inaugural Africa Writes Lifetime Achievement Award.
Margaret Busby’s own collected writings, Part of the Story: Writings from Half a Century, will be published by Hamish Hamilton in 2026.