Prophets (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781845234041)

Set in Jamaica in the late 1980s and 1990s, Prophets is a poem of rhythmic and metaphoric inventiveness, which "loads every rift... with ore." It brings together an exacting a portrayal of the social and cultural resonances of Jamaican society with a soaring mythopoeic imagination that explores the tension between an ebullient cynicism and a heartfelt desire for faith.

As 24-hour television, belching out the swaggering voices of American hellfire preachers, competes with dancehall, slackness and ganja for Jamaican minds, Clarice and Thalbot preach their own conflicting visions. Clarice has used her gifts to raise herself from the urban Jamaican ghetto. She basks in the adulation of her followers as they look to her for their personal salvation. Thalbot has fallen from comfort and security onto the streets. With his wild, matted hair and nakedness, he is a deranged voice in the wilderness. Whilst Clarice has her blue-eyed Jesus, Thalbot brandishes his blackness in the face of every passer-by. Clarice's visions give her power; Thalbot is at the mercy of every wandering spirit. But when, under cover of darkness, Clarice 'sins' on the beach, Thalbot alone knows of her fall. He sets out to journey, like Jonah, to denounce the prophetess and warn the Ninevite city of its coming doom. An epic struggle begins...

Author: Kwame Dawes
ISBN-10: 1845234049
ISBN-13: 9781845234041
Publisher: Peepal Tree Press
Language: English
Published: 03/29/2018
Pages: 160
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.45lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.30w x 0.60d

About the Author
Kwame Dawes is the author of more than 30 books and is widely recognized as one the Caribbean's leading writers. He is Glenna Luschei Editor of Prairie Schooner and a Chancellor's Professor of English at the University of Nebraska. Dawes was also recently selected as an honorary Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets.