Portico Prize Shortlist: ‘Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile’
By Janina Arndt
The life story of Andrea Dunbar could not have been more in her spirit than the way Adelle Stripe tells it in Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile. The ease of Stripe’s simple, unpretentious style – almost as lifelike as Dunbar’s herself – draws the reader into Bradford and gives the place a character as much as the people in it.
Like Dunbar, we are allowed to listen in to the scandalous conversations around, with Andrea’s voice being the loudest, painting a picture of the world as she saw it. “I’ve got to see it as I want to see it, and not as they do,” she once said in an interview. It is through her view of life, presented without compromise, that the most steadfast and ultimately fascinating personality of the playwright emerges and demands attention to the stories she lived through, the stories she has made of her life.
a clear, unflinching description, which interests, repels, endears and enrages
Buttershaw emerges alongside her and without Stripe romanticising or criticising its poverty, but seeing it with non-judgemental eyes that take it as it is, the place rises to become the influence it was on Andrea. There is no pity for the poverty or social issues at the estate, no complaint about the factory work in the north, just a clear, unflinching description, which interests, repels, endears and enrages. By merely listening in, the reader becomes aware of the importance of the place for Dunbar’s writing: it shaped her and it was the place where things happened, what gave her content and a voice. “I like the area because that’s all I’ve ever known. It’s no better than anywhere else, she continued. It certainly isn’t as bad as people make it out to be.”
It is the more engaging to see Dunbar stay this grounded as she goes south, to see her stand up for her views, her way of life and to see her recoil from the white, rich London walls. It is in these scenes, in the scenes when she defends her script for Rita, Sue and Bob Too!, in the moments when she defies the higher classes, that her northern character impresses the reader most. The constitution of a spirit, an identity in the face of her own fame. Dunbar did not have her head turned by the bright facades and the happy faces. ‘They double-kissed each other and wore ugly shoes. What a bunch of twats,’ she says in one of Stripe’s rare glimpses into Dunbar’s mind itself.
Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile does what Dunbar’s plays do, it strips away all pretence from life and draws attention to the issues of life and society without indulging in the pretence of absolute truth. She overcomes the drawbacks of fame, the backlash in her community and her struggles in the writing process – and Stripe’s clear vision of Dunbar’s writing talent is more than inspirational to new writers. Feminism and racism – two hot topics of today – are viewed through Andrea’s eyes, and make important statements which show the problems of discussions around them still present today.
Stripe makes an important voice heard among the increasing xenophobic movements of today
Dunbar says, “I wouldn’t say I was a feminist … but, I must admit, I like women to be stronger than men. I don’t know why, it’s just the way I write.” It is also the way Stripe wrote her, as an empowering, strong-minded person who is an inspiration to stand up for yourself. She faces poverty, racism, and domestic violence, but never loses her open mind. About the play which deals with the violence of her Pakistani ex-partner, she says, “For me The Arbor wasn’t about race at all… it was about useless men.”
Stripe makes an important voice heard among the increasing xenophobic movements of today, the voice of a woman, but more importantly the voice of an extremely talented writer with a true and honest personality. A moving read.
The Portico Prize awards £10,000 to the book that best evokes the spirit of the North of England. Palatinate is reviewing the shortlist and a winner will be announced on 23rd January 2020.
Photograph: Jay Clark via Unsplash
