Edward Brathwaite, Barabajan Poems

Melanie Otto (Trinity College Dublin)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 4.1.1: Anglophone Writing and Culture of Central America and the Caribbean.
Vol. editors: Ronald Cummings (McMaster University), Delphine Munos (Université de Liège), Melanie Otto (Trinity College Dublin), Jak Peake (University of Essex), Abigail Ward (University of Nottingham)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1994

Places

Barbados (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Poem collection

Resources

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Barabajan Poems

, published in 1994, is the first in a series of books that look back on Brathwaite’s life and work, identifying influences and key experiences that shaped his poetry and thinking. It was followed by

ConVERSations with Nathaniel Mackey

(1999),

(2002), and

Golokwati 2000

(2002). Part autobiography and part poetic manifesto,

Barabajan Poems

is centred on the poet’s childhood in Barbados, his family, his life as a student in Cambridge, as well as his years working for the Ministry of Education in Ghana and the revolution in his poetic vision which the encounter with Africa engendered. In addition to the autobiographical narrative, Brathwaite uses his poetry up to

Sun Poem

(1982) to illustrate the interplay of memory and poetic vision.

Barabajan Poems started life as a

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1846 words

Citation: Otto, Melanie. "Barabajan Poems". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 May 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=32309, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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