David Dabydeen
Author of Disappearance
About the Author
David Dabydeen is Professor of Literary Studies at the University of Warwick.
Series
Works by David Dabydeen
Associated Works
The Penguin Book of Migration Literature: Departures, Arrivals, Generations, Returns (2019) — Contributor — 73 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1959-12-09
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- Guyana
- Country (for map)
- Guyana
- Birthplace
- Berbice, Guyana
Members
Reviews
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 23
- Also by
- 4
- Members
- 410
- Popularity
- #59,368
- Rating
- 3.5
- Reviews
- 3
- ISBNs
- 57
- Languages
- 3
- Favorited
- 1
In Dabydeen's version, the long-overlooked drowning African slave in the foreground of the picture (whom the poet calls "Turner") becomes the narrator of the poem. After many years in the water he is trying, unsuccessfully, to reconnect with his past. Things are complicated by various other characters in the poem also called "Turner", including the captain of the slave-ship and a stillborn child. As the poem moves around unpredictably in time and place between Africa, Guyana, and India, and the slave-Turner and the captain-Turner both keep shifting ages and genders (and even numbers), this isn't a poem to read if you want to keep a close grip on what's happening and why. There's a lot in the poem to enjoy in terms of language and images, but in the end I'm not sure if we are really any further than agreeing with Dabydeen that slavery was cruel and evil. And an impression that somewhere a tortoiseshell cat has been at the tomatoes...
I found some of the other poems in this collection, where Dabydeen plays around with Guyanan creole, more interesting.
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