Seems to me that's there's interesting things going on in the world of Zimbabwean poetry at the moment. The poetry they are producing seems to be very lively and direct and full of reality in a way that I very rarely see. So I've linked to the webpage for www.poetryinternational.org so that people can go and investigate it. Dambudzo Marechera seems to have inspired a whole new generation of young poets, including some of the ones I've worked with on the Crossing Borders project for the British Council. Irene Staunton seems to be doing a great job in encoraging them and bringing them some recognition.
What I like about the poems is their directness of address. In reading Marechera and Philip Zuwhao, I feel like I'm reading the New American Poetry again, except with a greater urgency because this is not some American with a relatively privilaged upbringing. Life's hard in Zimbabwe at the moment, very hard, as seen by the short life of Philip Zuwhao. They deserve our support and encoragement, so go and read them.
And if they have books to sell, buy them.
The Beast of Manchester Poetry. A site for discussion of all things related to poetry, religion, life in general.
My Salt Book
About Me
- Steven Waling
- I'm a poet with several books out, the latest being Calling Myself on the Phone (available from www.poetrybusiness.co.uk) and Travelator (available from www.saltpublishing.com and with poems on the net and in magazines. I teach creative writing and run workshops, and I read my poems in public at any given opportunity. I also occassionally paint.
1 comment:
Thank you! I was just thinking about the novella House of Hunger and how it seems relevant in present-day Zimbabwe than it ever did. Each time I read it I cannot help but experience the extreme pain of one who's from a home torn by squalor. Daily interactions with Zimbabweans back home is a depressing process, revealing the pain, and indurance, of a people fully aware of the state of their home, yet fearing what the very next minute of will bring. Marechera portrays a character who takes his things and leaves (what most Zims have done), but not all everyone can afford to leave (both financially & emotionally). As you stated, all we can do is help.
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