Linton Kwesi Johnson – författare

Now including an afterword and new poems by the author and an introduction by Gary YoungePioneering poet Linton Kwesi Johnson has revolutionized English literature with his electrifying fusion of oral verse, Jamaican speech, radical politics and reggae rhythms. This new edition of a vital selection of poems covers over four decades and includes classic early poems such as 'Inglan is a Bitch', 'New Craas Massakah' and 'Sonny's Lettah', as well as compelling recent work.'Linton Kwesi Johnson's impact on the cultural landscape over the last half-century has been colossal and multi-generational . . . His political ferocity and his tireless scrutiny of history are truly Pinteresque, as is the humour with which he pursues them' Guardian'A warrior wordsmith whose couplets take no prisoners' The Times'Linton Kwesi Johnson's body of work - the sheer length, breadth, depth, politics, performance, rhyme and reason of it - bears witness to a lifetime of lending lyrical form to a condition that Britain has proved unable or unwilling (or both) to name' Gary Younge

A Financial Times Music Book of the Year 2023'Key to understanding black British history' - Sunday Times'Sharp and still relevant' - Zadie SmithRecognized as one of the great poets of modern times, and as a deeply respected and influential political and cultural activist and social critic, Linton Kwesi Johnson is also a prolific writer of non-fiction. In Time Come, he selects some of his most powerful prose – book and record reviews published in newspapers and magazines, lectures, obituaries and speeches – for the first time. Written over many decades, it is a body of work that draws creatively and critically on Johnson’s own Jamaican roots and on Caribbean history to explore the politics of race that continue to inform the Black British experience.Ranging from reflections on the place of music in Caribbean and Black British culture as a creative, defiant response to oppression, to his penetrating appraisals of music and literature, and including warm tributes paid to the activists and artists who inspired him to find his own voice as a poet and compelled him to contribute to the struggle for racial equality and social justice, Time Come is a panorama of an exceptional life. A collection that ventures into memoir, it underscores Johnson’s enduring importance in Britain’s cultural history and reminds us of his brilliant, unparalleled legacy.With an introduction by Paul Gilroy, author of There Ain't No Black in the Union Jack'A mosaic of wise, urgent and moving pieces' - Kit de Waal'As necessary as ever' - The Observer'A book to be savoured and re-read' - Derek Owusu'An outstanding collection' - Caryl Phillips'A necessary book from a writer who continues to inspire' - Yomi Sode'Incisive, engaging, fearless' - Gary Younge

‘Key to understanding Black British history’ – The Sunday Times‘Sharp and still relevant’ – Zadie SmithOne of the great poets of modern times, and a deeply respected political and cultural activist and social critic, Linton Kwesi Johnson is also a prolific writer of non-fiction. In Time Come, he selects some of his most powerful prose – book and music reviews published in newspapers and magazines, lectures, obituaries and speeches – for the first time. Written over many decades, these works draw on Johnson’s own Jamaican roots and on Caribbean history to explore the politics of race that continue to inform the Black British experience.Ranging from reflections on the place of music in Caribbean and Black British culture as a creative, defiant response to oppression, to penetrating appraisals of novels, films, poems and plays, and including warm tributes paid to the activists and artists who inspired him to contribute to the struggle for racial equality and social justice, Time Come is a panorama of an exceptional life. Venturing into memoir, it underscores Johnson’s enduring importance in Britain’s cultural history and reminds us of his brilliant, unparalleled legacy.With an introduction by Paul Gilroy, author of There Ain’t No Black in the Union Jack.‘A mosaic of wise, urgent and moving pieces’ – Kit de Waal‘As necessary as ever’ – The Observer‘A book to be savoured and re-read’ – Derek Owusu‘An outstanding collection’ – Caryl Phillips‘A necessary book from a writer who continues to inspire’ – Yomi Sode‘Incisive, engaging, fearless’ – Gary Younge