It is no surprise that during his short life,
the Zimbabwean literary genius, Dambudzo Marechera, did not find it easy to get
published.
As Flora Veit Wild, who ensured Marechera’s legacy
is now universally acknowledged, even publishing many of his manuscripts,
points out, "the major reason for rejection... was that the poems 'would
definitely be incomprehensible to readers in most of the world...'
One can hardly blame such publishers! Marechera’s
talent certainly belonged to the top drawer. But of course all talented writers
should be published no matter how "difficult" they are. This book
contains a great variety of Marechera’s poetry.
Are they that difficult? Some samples here:
"The stunned face of hooves clatters its jaws
Galloping chattering teething mouthfuls of memory’’
Page 146
"A nation in its own surging sap
Its pyrotechnics of photosynthesis...
With tumultuous timbre of a crowd?"
Page 118
And this excerpt might remind one of one of
Marechera’s novels:
"Leaving me buffeted by hailstorms of doubt...
Black sunlight, granitic water
Flames encased in sheets of ice"
Page 180
"Fetid lilies..." some sort of oxymoron?
Some of the poems are very political, since
Marechera was very knowledgeable and conscious of so many spheres; eg
Sharpeville's Blind Nights Ahead. Here we are taken on a rather torrid,
intellectually-hewn journey which touches on the likes of Azania, Nkomati, on
and of course Sharpeville itself
(See pages 143/144)
In short Marechera, who died at only 35 was a very
rare talent. He is easily in the poetic company of the likes of Africa’s Wole
Soyinka and Lenrie Peters...
- Eric B
