Kwame Dawes

"But I do offer this, and stand by these books, as evidence that there is a new conversation occurring in African poetry."
-Chris Albani in Toward a Living Archive of African Poetry: Kwame Dawes and Chris Abani on the New-Generation African Poets Chapbook Series

Toward a Living Archive of African Poetry: Kwame Dawes and Chris Abani on the New-Generation African Poets Chapbook Series by Kwame Dawes and Chris Albani might've had the opposite effect than the books intention but is still a great show more testament to the overlooked cause of African poetry via the introductory essays for the New-Generation African Poets Chapbook Box Set Series. There's a lot of insight regarding internal and external politics, the African poetry landscape, and the personal thoughts of the essay writers, but without the accompanying poems the book was dull and uninspiring. I'm sure, maybe, this is more entertaining for someone who has the box sets but for someone who doesn't have the context of the essays it doesn't make me want to go out and read them.

I will preface by saying I haven't read any of the New-Generation African Poets Chapbook Box Set Series. This book, I think, was meant to inspire the reader to look into reading the box sets but instead it left me yawning and looking up definitions for words as the language used by the authors are advanced. If the authors' intention was to appeal to new readers, the way that this book is done is cause for confusion rather than interest since the words being used don't apply to a broad audience.

The cause is wonderful and perhaps the box sets are more entertaining than this book but as a standalone book, although conceptually interesting, is extremely dull. show less

Bivouac begins with Ferron Morgan driving his father’s body in the back seat of a car to funeral home, his stomach is upset by anxiety, some of it due to grief and some to a strange white Toyota following him. The narrative of the story continues to follow Ferron for some time, while he haphazardly explores why his father died and even more haphazardly pursues relationships with three women. There are interstitial excerpts from his radical father’s writing that seem to be from his last show more days.

One explanation for his father’s death is medical malpractice, a treatment error at the ER after his fall. Another is murder, advanced by his brother and his father’s good friend Feti. The third explanation is suicide, an idea floated by none other than his father and his mother who says his father has been dead for three years–the living death of irrelevance. In a way, it seems that the women, Delores, Mitzie, and Theresa, could be seen as representative of these three options. Delores is so practical she could be the malpractice. Theresa could be the romanticized conspiracy of murder and betrayal. Mitzie could be the choice of ending it all.

But then I wonder if the women represent the choices Jamaica must make, not just Ferron. Delores is the capitalist, rightist turn that led to his father’s despair. The rape that precedes the novel would be very much a reflection of the role of choosing American capitalism and the economic rape that follows. Theresa could represent the hope of African Internationalism with her link to Feti, the ambassador. Mitzie could the true Jamaican choice, the choice of reggae and liberation, making their own way free of the judgment and influence of the capitalist West or the African revolutionaries.

The reason I look for meaning in Ferron’s three relationships beyond the obvious is Bivouac has that kind of rich and luxurious writing that makes you believe there is a purpose to every element of the story. There are three women, three explanations of his father’s death, and three Jamaicas. This seems purposeful.

The book ends with a hallucinatory final chapter with Ferron hearing the beat of Burning Spear, the reggae artist and Africa Internationalist, while visiting his ancestral home and ancestors. It’s more like a play than a narrative, or perhaps a song with pieces sung by different characters, even a bus conductor. It’s wild and poetic and a fitting way to conclude a story that is rich in questions and sparing with answers.

Bivouac will be released on April 2nd. I received an ARC from the publisher through LibraryThing.

Bivouac at Akashic Books
Kwame Dawes author site

★★★★
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2019/03/18/9781617757105/ show less

First off, I have to say how thrilled I am that Kwame Dawes has written a full-length novel! The text is evocative of his wonderful poetry style, and is a joy to read. In addition, this is a first-rate story. I really felt for the character of Ferron as he struggles to come to terms with his father's death, as well as with learning things he never knew about the man before. The author obviously knows his subject matter; everything about the country of Jamaica and the political realities of show more the 80s is incredibly detailed and accurate. I have read a fair bit of historical fiction set much earlier in time, and I enjoyed learning about some of the country's more modern history. Kudos to Dawes for writing an engaging, thought-provoking novel in such beautiful style! show less

My first mistake was going into this audiobook blindly. I chose this selection because it was free and short, but I would have passed it had I taken the time to read the synopsis or other reviews. With that said, here is my review on the book:

A hurricane is coming to Jamaica and a strong, well-to-do, middle-aged single woman has told her daughter she is off to make sure her private island and belongings are safe, but on the way she sees a beautiful man (of course), standing naked (of course) show more in the road. He claims he remembers nothing, so she does what any sane person would do and brings him to her house where she has no way of contacting anyone from the outside world. It's okay though because the man is good looking and in such a VULNERABLE state that she's delightedly turned on by the idea that she feels like she now "owns" him. Weird, but OK.

They hang out for a few days and he makes a great house guest, but she spends a fair amount of her time creeping on him. It's okay though because remember, he's like, really, really hot, so it's not weird that she watches him sleep.

Eventually they decide he needs to remember where he came from and he plans to leave, but not before coming into her room at 4am and just immediately sticking his dick inside her. That's how sex normally works, right? Someone comes from another room in the middle of the night and you just... get to going? Foreplay is overrated anyway. The main character keeps yelling at the strange man to LOOK AT HER while he has sex with her because at this point, she's finally feeling a little insecure about the whole situation. The next morning he leaves and she returns to her life of distrusting men and avoiding her daughter. A few months later, she receives a letter from the man, complete with a photo of him and the wife he cheated on, as well as his children.

The story was both boring and tasteless. Not smutty enough to be smut, and way too smutty for someone who doesn't want to constantly listen to this woman talk about sex in the least sexy way possible. When it ended, I googled the author to see what a woman with this kind of weird exploiter fantasy looked like, and was surprised to see the author is, in fact, a 60-year old man. Oof. show less