A work of immense cultural significance and beauty, this long poem
became an anthem for the African diaspora and the birth of the Negritude
movement. With unusual juxtapositions of object and metaphor, a bouquet
of language-play, and deeply resonant rhythms, Césaire considered this
work a "break into the forbidden," at once a cry of rebellion and a
celebration of black identity.
More praise:
"The greatest living poet in the French language."--American Book
Review
"Martinique poet Aime Cesaire is one of the few pure surrealists alive
today. By this I mean that his work has never compromised its wild
universe of double meanings, stretched syntax, and unexpected imagery.
This long poem was written at the end of World War II and became an
anthem for many blacks around the world. Eshleman and Smith have revised
their original 1983 translations and given it additional power by
presenting Cesaire's unique voice as testament to a world reduced in
size by catastrophic events." --Bloomsbury Review
"Through his universal call for the respect of human dignity,
consciousness and responsibility, he will remain a symbol of hope for
all oppressed peoples." --Nicolas Sarkozy
"Evocative and thoughtful, touching on human aspiration far beyond the
scale of its specific concerns with Cesaire's native land - Martinique."
--The Times
