Reviews

A Caribbean Dozen by Grace Nichols

mat_tobin's review

Go to review page

4.0

It was lovely to revisit this collection from Agard and Nichols. Together, they have compiled the voice of 13 poets based around the Caribbean. Each selection of poems is accompanied by a very informative autobiography from the poet which explains their childhood in relation to the Caribbean and what got them into poetry. Many do speak about the books and poems they heard as a child and praise the English prose and verse they encountered; others speak of the stories and rhymes that had been passed down through their elders and some speak of the lack of the own voice and how they wanted to present and find literature that sounded and looked like them.
The size of the book (I have) is lovely and just right for sharing, beautifully and generously illustrated by Cathie Falstead who has also provided work for authors such as Alice Walker. The poems range of memories of the Caribbean from their childhood to poems about food, animals and the landscape. Some are humorous but all have a rhythm to them that celebrates language.

More...