Synopsis
The poems in Homelands by Eric Ngalle Charles are irresistibly rich in tone, subject, and emotion. Native to Cameroon in west Africa, he grew up in a landscape of stunning natural beauty and in a culture of vivid mythology and striking musical and literary traditions, but with uncertain and volatile politics and a sometimes-troubled family dynamic.
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About the Author
Eric Ngalle Charles was born in the west African state of Cameroon, a country rich in mythology and natural beauty, but with a troubled colonial history. Arriving in Wales as a near-penniless migrant, after being trafficked to Russia by a criminal gang, he has remade his life as a poet/writer, and dazzling performer of his own work. His debut poetry collection, Homelands, follows his memoir I, Eric Ngalle.
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Homelands
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Homelands
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Paperback. Condition: New. Homelands is the first collection of poems by the Wales-based Eric Ngalle Charles and is divided into sections that echo his adventurous and sometimes harrowing biography. Part one focuses on his childhood in the West African state of Cameroon. These poems often resound with warmth and humour, fond memories of sitting in his mother's kitchen, of making toys out of leaves. We sense the beauty of the landscapes around Mount Cameroon and become one of the crowd of children who follow the aunties 'tea-plucking' on plantations. But we also meet some of the darker deities from the mythologies in the Bakweri language, invoked by characters like the 'Soothsayer', which also gives these early poems ominous hints of danger. The threats are not just imaginary but all-too-real with a volatile government, and a civil war in the two 'English' Speaking regions of North and South West that is threatening to engulf the whole country. We also learn, as the author does, of an absent father whose picture he discovers under his mother's bed. In the poem for Queenta, his sister, we have a glossary of some beautiful words in Bakweri, the native language of this region, along with some of the colourful mythology included in their etymologies. In Part two, Displacements, we first have some retrospective poems that recall the troubled history of Cameroon, of its slicing-up by colonial authorities in the 19th and 20th centuries and how this might echo older rivalries and wars and wars to come. In this section we hear of some heart-breaking twists of fortune for the young poet. ('Inheritance, 1997'). Promised a college education in Belgium and tricked onto an airliner, he is taken by traffickers to Moscow, whilst family eager family members abscond with an inheritance from his father. There, seemingly abandoned by his family, without a passport or immigration status, he is forced to join a criminal gang who specialise in elaborate scams and robberies. He survives this betrayal with courage and resourcefulness, makes friends and allies. He also embraces the Russian language with help from kindly locals ('Great Aunt Vera'). These poems are filled with both longing and bitterness. There are also poems here about others confined or subjected to unjust circumstances: victims of violence, drowning migrants, a natural disaster that inflicts a catastrophe upon Cameroon. The witch-figure 'Farzana', a figure of both fear and yearning, is the muse of this section. The third section, Cymru, includes poems that mostly take place in Ngalle's newly adopted homeland of Wales. After a series of misadventures, Eric manages to escape his captors in Moscow, and the poet lands at Heathrow, where he begins another adventure after he spontaneously steps onto a bus with names he recognises: Swansea via Cardiff. The opening poem 'Bus 18 from Ely' is both humorous and pointed. The casual racism he encounters can be safely mocked, against the backdrop of his dangerous experiences in Russ. Seller Inventory # LU-9781781726549
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Homelands (Paperback)
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Poetry Wales Press, Bridgend, 2022
ISBN 10: 178172654X
ISBN 13: 9781781726549
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Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Homelands is the first collection by Wales-based poet Eric Ngalle Charles. Part one focuses on his childhood in the West African state of Cameroon. The poems often resound with warmth and humour, fond memories of sitting in his mothers kitchen, of making toys out of leaves. We sense the beauty of the landscape and become one of the crowd of children who follow the aunties tea-plucking on plantations. We also meet some of the darker deities from the mythologies in the Bakweri language, invoked by characters like the Soothsayer, which also gives these early poems ominous hints of danger. Part two, Displacements, recalls the troubled history of Cameroon, of its slicing-up by colonial authorities in the 19th and 20th centuries, how this might echo older rivalries and wars to come. These move into poems detailing heart-breaking twists of fortune in the poet's own life. Promised a college education in Belgium he is tricked onto an airliner and taken by traffickers to Moscow. He is forced to join a criminal gang to survive. Alongside these poems, full of longing, are poems about others confined or subjected to unjust circumstances: victims of violence, drowning migrants, a natural disaster. The third section, Cymru, is predominantly set in Ngalles newly adopted homeland of Wales. Eric escapes Moscow, landing at Heathrow where he begins another adventure after stepping onto a bus with names he recognises: Swansea via Cardiff. This section is both humorous and pointed. The past, however, is never safely stored away and the poet struggles with flashbacks, triggering episodes that remind him of previous trauma. Eventually he returns to Cameroon as a visitor, confronting some old ghosts and trying to forgive those who wronged him. The poems in Homelands by Eric Ngalle Charles are irresistibly rich in tone, subject and emotion. Native to Cameroon in west Africa, he grew up in a landscape of stunning natural beauty and in a culture of vivid mythology and striking musical and literary traditions, but with uncertain and volatile politics and a sometimes-troubled family dynamic. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781781726549
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Homelands
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Homelands
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Seren Books/Poetry Wales Pr Ltd, 2022
ISBN 10: 178172654X
ISBN 13: 9781781726549
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Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 63 pages. 8.75x5.75x0.25 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __178172654X
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