The Housing Lark is a novel written by a Trinidad-born writer and journalist Samuel Selvon. The novel presents a comedic caricature of the experience of the West Indian immigrants in London. It shows the life and interactions of people of various backgrounds with the people of London.
This narrative follows Battersby, who lives in a housing place together with other similar-minded individuals, and dreams of living in a place of his own. Together with other tenants, he devises a plan to save money to accomplish that dream, but the pressure of the landlords and the never-ending need to meet expenditures stands in the way.
The novel explores the themes of displacement and the meaning of home, otherness and life in general. It was first published in 1965 and was well received upon publication; the book is considered a classic today.
