Samarkand and Other Markets I Have KnownWith sections tellingly entitled Outsiders, Of Exits, Fugitive Phases, and Elegies these poems were for the most part written during a period of enforced travelling, when the poet had a price placed on his head by the Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha. They offer a global perspective on the last, troubled decade of the 20th century with meditations on the deaths of Francois Miterrand and the Nigerian dissident Ken Saro-Wiwa as well as invocations to fellow writers such as Josef Brodsky and Chinua Achebe. This collection unites Soyinka's public persona with insights into a much more private poetic search. |
Contents
AH DEMOSTHENES | 3 |
BUSINESS LUNCH | 10 |
SOME DEATHS ARE WORLDS APART | 19 |
Copyright | |
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Abeokuta alien ancient bark beneath Benson Medal Beware biped bronze CANTICLES chants Chardonnay Chinua Chinua Achebe claim dare dark dawn dead death deep Demosthenes depleted desecrate dreams earth eyes face faith fake feet fingers gaze gbogbo nle orisa George Benson ghosts Golden Road grim griots Gunner's guns hands heads heart holy home of deities hour Houyhnhnms Idanre indigo KEN SARO-WIWA kill us slowly Kudirat lash lost magic intervals market place masquerade memory mind Moremi Mount of Olives mute Nigeria night nle orisa ee Noble Sanctuary oblivious Ogoniland Ogun's land Orunmila paradise peace pebbles piety poem Prize for Literature race Samarkand Sanctuary secret seek shared sheathed shrine silent social realism song soul space stones strangers streets survival sword throat timeless tobacco smoke tongue tower clock trees Tuned turn tyrant usurper Utopia vision voice Wedded Wole Soyinka wonrin word Yoruba youth Zealot