Dread Poetry and Freedom

Explores the themes of poetry, political consciousness and social transformation through the prism of Linton Kwesi Johnson's work. Drawing from the Bible, reggae and Rastafari, surrealism, socialism, feminism, and in dialogue with Aimé Césaire, Frantz Fanon, C.L.R James, Walter Rodney, W.E.B. Du Bois and the poetry of d'bi young anitafrika, Johnson's work becomes a crucial point of reflection on the meaning of freedom in this study. In the process, Austin demonstrates why art, and particularly poetry, is a vital part of our efforts to achieve genuine social change in times of dread. --From publisher description.