The Unfortunates is an experimental "book in a box" published in 1969 by English author B. S. Johnson and reissued in 2008 by New Directions.

[4] BBC producer Lorna Pegram employed Johnson to talk about this creation for the TV series "Release" after she was lobbied by Carmen Callil of Panther books.

"[6][7] A sportswriter is sent to a city (identifiable through landmarks as Nottingham) on an assignment, only to find himself confronted by ghosts from his past.

As he attempts to report on a football match, memories of his friend, a victim of cancer, haunt his mind.

The city visited remains unnamed, however the novel contains an accurate description of Nottingham landmarks, its streetscape, and its environment in 1969, with additional recallings of 1959.