A MUST READ. On Broken Wings by Unoma Azuah (Ed.)

Title: On Broken Wings

Author: Unoma Azuah (Ed.)

Genre: Poetry (Anthology)

Format:  Paperback

Book Dimension: 

Number of Pages:

Publication Year:  May, 2014

Publisher: DLite Press

ISBN: 978-1-937143-31-2

Available at: Online on Amazon Kindle Store and Amazon.com

Short Description: In the mid 70’s, Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka edited Poems of Black Africa. That seminal volume brought together Africa’s best and brightest in a pretty and whimsical verse: pregnant with foreboding divination. It is difficult to think of another collection of verse that rivals that book in its depth, range and beauty. However, a critically acclaimed response to that time marker is the anthology, Voices from the Fringe, edited by the poet and scholar Harry Garuba. Voices from the Fringe, published in 1988, is a brilliant convergence of the authors of the time, a third wave of 100 writers who expressed the anxieties of that period in poetry. Many aficionados of literature point to these collections and the dearth of contemporary poetry anthologies as proof that, perhaps, poetry is dying in Africa. Nothing can be further from the truth. Poetry is alive in the literature of Nigeria, in the songs, in the stories of joy and heartbreak. The poetry comes booming, celebrating the lives of warriors born into a war they did not ask for. In this compilation, the poet Unoma Azuah has managed a rare feat by bringing together many of Nigeria’s most important poets, at home and abroad, to sit together in these pages and talk about their portion of this earth. From Chris Abani to Dami Ajayi, this is a multidimensional pantheon that celebrates generations, thinkers, and experts producing one awesome song for Nigeria. This is an important anthology on many levels; however, it speaks to me in one important sense. The poets are keenly aware of the times they live in and in their words. They define and re-define the notions of exile, immigration, physical walls and relationships. It is not all sadness; many of these poets actually ignore the condition of their being and dance. What a song. I am honored to be part of this great collection. Ikhide Ikheloa

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