LINTON KWESI JOHNSON (b.1952)
Selected Poems. London: Penguin, 2006.
The Selected Poems of the renowned reggae poet and recording artist, signed on the title and annotated across three pages with 77 words of commentary. First issued under the title Mi Revalueshanary Fren in 2002, the present edition includes additional material to reflect Johnson’s finest work over three decades. His poems, such as the well-known ‘If I Woz a Tap Natch Poet’, ‘Inglan is a Bitch’ and ‘Sonny’s Lettah’, give a powerful voice to disaffected dissent and political protest and are charged with the rhythm of reggae and dub. Johnson’s notes in this copy offer a sense of his development as an artist and of the importance of music and performance to his poetry: ‘use to perform this poem in the early seventies accompanied by some percussion players called Rasta Love’. Johnson is the only black poet to be published in the Penguin Classics series.

Octavo. Original printed card wrappers.

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