The Reciprocal Relationship Between the City and its Subjects in Samuel Selvon’s The Lonely Londoners and Dionne Brand’s What We All Long For

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This article seeks to examine the significance of geographical setting in Samuel Selvon’s The Lonely Londoners (2006 [1956]) and Dionne Brand’s What We All Long For (2005) in order to understand the undeniable reciprocal relationship that exists between the city and its subjects. Hence, I will analyse the role played by London and Toronto in the construction and development of their inhabitants’ identities, as well as the power that city dwellers have in (re)shaping urban spaces. The article aims to examine the dynamic and fluid character of the city and intends to identify the effects that migrant communities have on rewriting and remapping urban spaces when exercising their agency.