Yardie (novel)

Yardie

First edition
Author	Victor Headley
Language	English
Publisher	London, UK: X Press
Publication date	1992
Publication place	United Kingdom
Media type	Print

Yardie was the debut novel of Jamaican-born British writer Victor Headley, being described as "the publishing story of 1992"^[1] when it became the first title produced by Dotun Adebayo's newly established X Press.^[2]

The novel achieved impressive sales, initially through outlets other than traditional bookshops; according to Goodreads: "Yardie is, quite simply, a literary sensation in England. Originally published by X Press, a two-man operation, the book was produced on a desktop computer and distributed through unusual channels: it was sold at clothing shops, hairdressers, and even on top of over-turned dumpsters outside of nightclubs. On word of mouth alone, Yardie has sold over twelve thousand copies."^[3][4] It went on to sell some 30,000 copies.^[2] Interviewed by Vastiana Belfon for the New Statesman, X Press co-founder Steve Pope said: "It was the first populist black title aimed at a black audience, and its sales success prompted W H Smith to set up black writing sections in its stores. Other booksellers soon followed."^[5]

Set largely in 1980s Hackney, the novel borrows its title from yardie, a term stemming from the slang name originally given to occupants of "government yards" — social housing projects with very basic amenities, and is based on the fictional story a young Jamaican's rise from the streets of London to the top of the drug-dealing underworld. Publishers Weekly (reviewing the Atlantic Monthly Press edition) called Yardie a "well-crafted crime story", saying: "A planned sequel may perhaps provide insight into the gangster at the center of the intriguing world Headley has created."^[6]

In 2016 it was revealed that Idris Elba was to make his directorial debut with an adaptation of Yardie.^[7][8] Elba confirmed: "It's actually a smaller capsule story within the story of Yardie. It's about a boy who comes from Jamaica and finds himself in London, being a naughty boy. You're going to see a muscular, dynamic and heartfelt film that means something to people. I want people to come out of the film and say 'Hmm, I feel like going to Jamaica now!' That's the idea."^[9] The film stars Aml Ameen, with Stephen Graham in a supporting role,^[10] and was released in 2018.

• Yardie at Fantastic Fiction