A Portable Paradise

This poetry collection addresses migration, family, Black British life, and the memory of the Grenfell Tower fire through musical rhythm and narrative force. Paradise is presented not as a distant place but as something to carry, protect, and share.

migrationfamilyBlack British literatureGrenfellpoetry

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Work Information

A portable paradise is born between anger at injustice and love for people.

Drawing on dub and oral resonance, the poems move between London life, Caribbean memory, family intimacy, and social violence. Poetry becomes both protest and a way to trust human humor and generosity.

Review Summaries

Readers value the clarity of voice and emotional force. The poems strongly reach readers by placing social anger and everyday joy in the same poetic space.

Book Information

Publisher: Peepal Tree Pr Ltd
Published: 2020-05-19
Pages: 81 pages
Language: 英語
Size: 13.34 x 0.76 x 20.96 cm
ISBN-13: 9781845234331
ISBN-10: 1845234332
Price: 2506 JPY
Category: 洋書/Literature & Fiction/Poetry/Caribbean & Latin American

Roger Robinson&;s range is wide: the joys and pains of family life; the ubiquitous presence of racism; observations on the threatening edge of violence below the surface energies of Black British territories in London; emblematic poems on the beauty and often bizarre strangeness of the world of animals; quizzical responses to the strange, the heartening, and the appalling in incidents encountered in daily life; and reflections on the purposes and costs of making art. Not least, in the sequence of poems that reflect on the meanings of the Grenfell Tower fire, Roger Robinson finds ways to move beyond a just indignation to uncover the undertones of experience that bring us nearer to the human reality of that event. The collection&;s title points to the underlying philosophy expressed in these poems: that earthly joy is, or ought to be, just within, but is often just beyond our reach, denied by racism, misogyny, physical cruelty, and those with the class power to deny others their share of worldly goods and pleasures. A Portable Paradise is not the emptiness of material accumulation, but joy in an openness to people, places, the sensual pleasures of food, and the rewards to be had from the arts of word, sound, and visual enticement&;in short an &;insatiable hunger&; for life. The poems express a fierce anger against injustice, but also convey the irrepressible sense that Roger Robinson cannot help but love people for their humour, oddity, and generosity of spirit.These finely crafted poems reveal Roger Robinson&;s capacity to tell involving stories and capture the essence of a character in a few words, to move the emotions with the force of verbal expression, and to engage our thoughts. A Portable Paradise is a feast to be carried by lovers of poetry wherever they go.

Roger Robinson is the winner of the 2020 TS Eliot Prize for poetry. His first full poetry collection, The Butterfly Hotel , was shortlisted for The OCM Bocas Poetry Prize.

Reviews

I don't usually favour poetry, but as part of my quest to read by books outside my comfort zone, I picked this from Kindle Unlimited and WOW. This book was written by a London-born Trinidadian and his story-telling and range impressed me. Every single poem touched me. Some made me seriously emotional. The book is split into sections. There were several parts. The first section, which focused on Grenfell really punched me in the heart, but my favourite poem was in the second section. It was called WOKE and looked at the history of the black man in a way that made me weep. I couldn't stop thinking about it. There is a section on experience with the hospital too which was always touching but since lockdown, is more so (look out for Nurses). This book had me using the highlighting function - I never highlight! The writing is touching, beautiful and inspiring. Each work flowed into the next. Once I started I couldn't put down. I would recommend it to anyone.
Roger has a way of breathing life into ordinary words that they sound as if they came from a surreal world. Yet, we know they're real, because we feel the weight and strengths of every syllable. Well done!!!!
Bought for myself, as a gift (twice), even bought it translated to Greek, it is spot on, sincere, balanced, thought provoking.
A wonderful collection of poetry that is authentic, heartfelt, and uncompromisingly tells the stories that must be told. One of my all-time favourites.
Truth Every word