Keorapetse Kgositsile: Collected Poems, 1969-2018

Keorapetse Kgositsile, South Africa's second poet laureate, was a political activist, teacher, and poet who lived in the United States for a significant portion of his life. This collection includes his new and collected works, spanning almost fifty years, and demonstrates his commitment to equality, justice, and egalitarianism. Kgositsile's poetry honors the truth and celebrates human creativity, particularly music, as an integral aspect of the global liberation struggle. His prose is fiery, witty, and filled with conviction, addressing themes of Black solidarity, displacement, and anticolonialism.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 298 pages
Publication date: 16 December 2022
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press

Keorapetse Kgositsile, the esteemed second poet laureate of South Africa, was a multifaceted individual who excelled in the realms of politics, education, and literature. For a considerable portion of his life, he resided, created, and imparted knowledge in the United States, engaging in collaborations with numerous influential and esteemed writers, such as Gwendolyn Brooks, Sterling Plumpp, Dudley Randall, and George Kent. This extensive compilation encompasses Kgositsile's latest and previously published works, spanning nearly fifty years of his artistic journey.

Throughout his lifetime, Kgositsile dedicated the majority of his poetic creations to individuals and movements, chronicling the relentless fight against racism, Western imperialism, and racial capitalism. He also celebrated human creativity, particularly music, as an inherent and vital component of the global liberation struggle. This collection serves as a testament to the commitment to equality, justice, and egalitarianism fostered by cultural workers within the mass liberation movement. As noted in the introduction, Kgositsile possessed an unparalleled ability to honor the truth in all its intricate manifestations, employing a musicality that drew from the rich reservoir of memory and history, reconstructed through the rhythms and cadences of jazz.

Addressing themes of Black solidarity, displacement, and anticolonialism, Kgositsile's prose exudes a fervent, witty, and unwavering conviction. This collection showcases a voice that yearned to transform the world, and indeed, it achieved remarkable success in doing so.

Weight: 454g
Dimension: 152 x 228 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496221155