Alan Wakeman

Writer and campaigner Alan Wakeman tragically died soon after launching his autobiographical Fragments of Joy and Sorrow with Fantastic Books. We were proud to be the chosen publisher for this superb collection and aim to publish more of the work that he entrusted to us. You can read Alan's incredible story in his own words on his website. 

Born in London in 1936 Alan grew up during the second world war. He was called up for national service when he was 17 and went to the Far East with the Royal Air Force. A prolific writer and tireless campaigner throughout his life, Alan was an amazing person who met real adversity in his life but never allowed it to affect his honesty or integrity, and never became bitter over the many injustices he faced. He was a pioneer of English teaching introducing key innovations in the 1970s. He advocated veganism in the days when most people thought vegans were people from another planet, and he was a passionate gay rights activist.

Alan’s death in 2015 was sudden and unexpected. Tributes poured in from around the world. You can read a couple of them here: Alan’s obituary from the Guardian and from PInk News.