Passport to Here and There
A poetic journey of memory and connection
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Bloodaxe Books Ltd
Published:25th Jun '20
Should be back in stock very soon
Grace Nichols's Passport to Here and There explores her journey from Guyana to Britain, celebrating memory and connection through vivid poetry.
In Passport to Here and There, Grace Nichols, one of Britain's most celebrated Caribbean poets, embarks on an evocative journey that intertwines her childhood memories from the coastal landscapes of Guyana with her experiences in Britain, particularly in Sussex. Through her poetry, she transforms the mundane into something extraordinary, capturing the essence of both personal and collective histories. This collection features a poignant sonnet-sequence inspired by her recent return to Guyana, highlighting her ability to bridge the gap between her past and present.
The poems in Passport to Here and There are marked by a redemptive quality, celebrating connections and reconnections that resonate deeply with readers. Nichols's work speaks to the power of memory and the significance of place, as she reflects on her journey from the vibrant culture of her homeland to her life in the UK. Each poem serves as a testament to the beauty found in everyday experiences, whether they are rooted in the familiar sights of her childhood or the new landscapes she now calls home.
As her ninth collection of adult poetry and fourth with Bloodaxe, Passport to Here and There stands as a vital contribution to both Caribbean and British literature. Nichols's unique voice and perspective continue to enrich the poetic landscape, inviting readers to explore the themes of identity, belonging, and the transformative power of memory.
To write beyond middle age with anything like the transmuting fire of youth requires – so the adage says – much wilful forgetting in order to remember at a deeper level of meaning for readers. Grace Nichols in this new collection of her work succeeds in revisiting her Guyana past to make poems of lightness and diction and depth of feeling. The Demerara region takes on heraldic relevance and the people in it, principally her parents, along with flora and fauna, populate a landscape of metaphoric and allegorical longing. Her simple diction belies a complex emotional intellect and a feel for the balance of a line, its weightlessness in collusion with a depth of feeling. This may be Grace Nichols at her best, in poems that chime with bright imagery and lasting phrasing worthy of chanting to undermine and contradict, if not bringing down the authoritarian edifices of our dangerous times. -- Fred D'Aguiar
Not only rich music, an easy lyricism, but also grit, and earthy honesty, a willingness to be vulnerable and clean. -- Gwendolyn Brooks
Grace Nichols has wit, acidity, tenderness, any number of gifts at her disposal. -- Jeanette Winterson
From her first collection in 1983, I Is a Long Memoried Woman, she has been a strong presence in the linguistic interweave between the Caribbean and the UK. Her poetry and prose move easily between the poised world of Western culture, Old World history and myth, and the gritty rhythms of the Caribbean everyday… There is wit, irony and passion…real poise. -- Michelene Wandor * Poetry Review *
ISBN: 9781780375328
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
80 pages