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Zea Mexican Diary: 7 September 1926―7 September 1986 (Wisconsin Studies in Autobiography) - Hardcover
In May of 1986 Edward Kamau Brathwaite learned that his wife, Doris, was dying of cancer and had only a short time to live. Responding as a poet, he began “helplessly & spasmodically” to record her passage in a diary. Zea Mexican is a collection of excerpts from this diary and other notes from this period of the Brathwaites’ lives, and few who read this book will fail to be caught up in the depth of Edward Brathwaite’s grief.
Zea Mexican is a tribute to Doris Brathwaite and an exploration of the creative potency of love. (The title comes from the name Brathwaite gave Doris, who was originally from Guyana of part Amerindian descent.) Exposing the intimacy of his marriage, this book is the closest Brathwaite has ever come to an autobiographical statement. In examining his life with Doris he found the courage to reveal something of his own character. But, more than an autobiography, Zea Mexican is an extraordinary work of literature, much of it written in the expressive “nation language” of Jamaica and the Caribbean. Brathwaite filters his pain through his poetic gift, presenting it to the reader with all the poignancy poetry conveys.
Zea Mexican is a tribute to Doris Brathwaite and an exploration of the creative potency of love. (The title comes from the name Brathwaite gave Doris, who was originally from Guyana of part Amerindian descent.) Exposing the intimacy of his marriage, this book is the closest Brathwaite has ever come to an autobiographical statement. In examining his life with Doris he found the courage to reveal something of his own character. But, more than an autobiography, Zea Mexican is an extraordinary work of literature, much of it written in the expressive “nation language” of Jamaica and the Caribbean. Brathwaite filters his pain through his poetic gift, presenting it to the reader with all the poignancy poetry conveys.
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About the Author:
Edward Kamau Brathwaite is professor of comparative literature at New York University. Among his many books of poetry and scholarship are Ancestors, Black + Blues, Masks, Islands, Days and Nights, Middle Passages, Our Ancestral Heritage, and History of the Voice. He received the 1994 Neustadt International Prize for Literature.
Review:
"In this indefinable text, a diary/memoir and them some, West Indian poet and scholar Kamau Brathwaite conjures his wife, Doris, and tells of her death from cancer. Brathwaite can give even the clichés of death and mourning their flat but real weight."—Village Voice Literary Supplement
"[Kamau Brathwaite is] one of the finest living poets of the Western hemisphere."—London Times
"How important this personal view of the poet, the man, the philosopher, the romantic will be for the Brathwaite scholar! . . . Simply the most riveting, most poetic, most beautifully rendered autobiographical narrative that I've read in a long time. . . .To read Zea is more than simply to peruse a manuscript–it is to participate in a ritual."—Daryl Cumber Dance, author of New World Adams: Conversations with Contemporary West Indian Writer
"[Kamau Brathwaite is] one of the finest living poets of the Western hemisphere."—London Times
"How important this personal view of the poet, the man, the philosopher, the romantic will be for the Brathwaite scholar! . . . Simply the most riveting, most poetic, most beautifully rendered autobiographical narrative that I've read in a long time. . . .To read Zea is more than simply to peruse a manuscript–it is to participate in a ritual."—Daryl Cumber Dance, author of New World Adams: Conversations with Contemporary West Indian Writer
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- PublisherUniversity of Wisconsin Press
- Publication date1993
- ISBN 10 029913640X
- ISBN 13 9780299136406
- BindingHardcover
- Edition number1
- Number of pages230
- Rating
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The Zea Mexican Diary, 7 Sept 1926-7 Sept 1986
Published by
University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, Wis
(1993)
ISBN 10: 029913640X
ISBN 13: 9780299136406
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Quantity: 1
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Hardcover quarto in white DJ. xi, 214 pages: b/w illustrations; 24 cm. with a foreword by Sandra Pouchet Paquet. Series: Wisconsin studies in American autobiography; Abstract: "In May of 1986 Kamau Brathwaite learned that his wife, Doris, was dying of cancer and had only a short time to live. Responding as a poet, he began "helplessly & spasmodically" to record her passage in a diary. The Zea Mexican Diary is a collection of excerpts from this diary and other notes from this period of the Brathwaites' lives, and few who read this book will fail to be caught up in the depth of Kamau Brathwaite's grief."--BOOK JACKET. "The Zea Mexican Diary is a tribute to Doris Brathwaite and an exploration of the creative potency of love. (The title comes from the name Brathwaite gave Doris, who was originally from Guyana, of part Amerindian descent.) Exposing the intimacy of his marriage, this book is the closest Brathwaite has ever come to an autobiographical statement. In examining his life with Doris he found the courage to reveal something of himself. But, more than an autobiography, The Zea Mexican Diary is an extraordinary work of literature, much of it written in the expressive "nation language" of Jamaica and the Caribbean. Brathwaite filters his pain through his poetic gift, presenting it to the reader with all the poignancy poetry conveys."--BOOK JACKET. "The force of Doris Brathwaite's character takes shape through Brathwaite's thoughts. She was a significant presence in West Indian culture in her own right, as an inspiration for her husband's poetry and through her efforts in the creation of the Caribbean Artists Movement and her contributions to the publishing cooperative, Savacou. Brathwaite writes fondly of Doris's immense generosity toward him and toward the community at large."--BOOK JACKET. "Brathwaite's journal, and the poetry he composed during this time, is also an exploration of his relationships to women - his mother and sister as well as his wife. The latter portion of The Zea Mexican Diary is a selection of letters Brathwaite wrote to his sister, Mary, after Doris's death. In these letters he accuses Mary of abandoning him in his time of need. These letters reflect the emotions generated by his great loss."--BOOK JACKET. "Zea Mexican's memory is finally laid to rest in Brathwaite's description of a "tree planting" ritual. Her ashes are strewn amongst the roots of a tulip tree where, Brathwaite writes, she was, "becoming /w the sky its blue so very blue that morning & with God & with the God in all of this in all of us circle through circle through cycle through time." Brathwaite begins the next cycle of his own life in the last chapter, entitled Anyaneanyane (The Awakening)."--Jacket. Authors, Jamaican -- 20th century -- Diaries. Cancer -- Patients -- Biography. Authors' spouses. DJ in archival mylar. Book is fine in near fine (one closed tear to top edge at spine) DJ. First edition, first printing (full number line). Seller Inventory # 90125
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The Zea Mexican Diary, 7 Sept 1926-7 Sept 1986
Published by
The University of Wisconsin Press
(1993)
ISBN 10: 029913640X
ISBN 13: 9780299136406
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Hardcover. First edition. First printing [stated]. xi, 214, [2] p. Illustrations. Wisconsin Studies in American Autobiography. Foreword by Sandra Pouchet Paquet. In May of 1986, the poet Kamau Brathwaite learned that his wife, Doris, was dying of cancer and had only a short time to live. Responding as a poet, he began "helplessly and spasmodically" to record her passage in a diary. This is a collection of excerpts from that diary and other notes from this period of the Brathwaite lives. The book is a tribute to Doris Brathwaite and an exploration of the creative potency of love. The title comes from the nickname Brathwaite gave Doris, who was originally from Guyana, of part-Amerindian descent. Exposing the intimacy of his marriage, the book is the closest Brathwaite has ever come to an autobiographical statement. In examining his life with Doris he found the courage to reveal something of his own character. But, more than an autobiography, it is an extraordinary work of literature, much of it written in the expressive "nation language" of Jamaica and the Caribbean. Brathwaite filters his pain through his poetic gift, presenting it to the reader with all the poignancy poetry conveys. Very good in good dust jacket. DJ has a puncture at the front spine hinge, some edge tears and chips. Seller Inventory # 61769
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Zea Mexican Diary: 7 September 1926-7 September 1986 (Wisconsin Studies in Autobiography)
Published by
University of Wisconsin Press
(1993)
ISBN 10: 029913640X
ISBN 13: 9780299136406
Used
Hardcover
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description hardcover. Condition: Acceptable. Acceptable. book. Seller Inventory # ERICA791029913640X2
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