A powerful collection of new and recently completed poems by Ben Okri covering topics of the day,such as the refugee crisis,racism,Obama,the Grenfell Tower fire,and the Corona outbreak. In our times of crisis The mind has its powersThis book brings together many of Ben Okri's most acclaimed and politically charged poems.Some of them,like'Grenfell Tower,June 2017',are already familiar. Published in the Financial Times less than ten days after the fire,it was played more than 6 million times on Channel 4's Facebook page,and was retweeted by thousands on Twitter.'Notre-Dame is Telling Us Something'was first read on BBC Radio 4,in the aftermath of the cathedral's near destruction. It spoke eloquently of the despair that was felt around the world.In'shaved head poem',Ben Okri wrote of the confusion and anxiety felt as the world grappled with a health crisis unprecedented in our times.'Breathing the Light'was his response to the events of summer 2020,when a black man died beneath the knee of a white policeman,a tragedy sparking a movement for change.These poems,and others including poems for Ken Saro-Wiwa,Barack Obama,Amnesty and more,make this a uniquely powerful collection that blends anger and tenderness with Ben Okri's inimitable vision.
MEDIA REVIEWS
Publisher: Head of ZeusISBN: 9781803281285Number of pages: 160Dimensions: 180 x 110 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
PRAISE FOR BEN OKRI:'Ben Okri is that rare thing,a literary and social visionary,a writer for whom all three - literature,culture and vision - are profoundly interwoven'Ali Smith.'Where fiction's master of enchantments stares down a real horror,and without blinking or flinching,produces a work of beauty,grace and uncommon power'
Ben Okri
An internationally acclaimed novelist and poet,Nigerian author Ben Okri is best known for his Man Booker Prize-winning The Famished Road, the first in a trilogy of novels about a spirit child,Azaro,continued in Songs of Enchantment and Infinite Riches. His other work includes the poetry collections An African Elegy and A Way of Being Free as well as the novels Astonishing the Gods,Dangerous Love,In Arcadia,The Age of Magic and 2019's The Freedom Artist.
Visit the Ben Okri author page
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