By the acclaimed writer of Palmares and Corregidora.
When the Portuguese attack Palmares, Brazil’s last fugitive slave enclave, Almeyda and her husband are separated as they flee from the destruction. Amid the flight and re-enslavement of the inhabitants, their narrative emerges.
Two powerful, epic poems give voice to the lovers: Almeyda’s passionate lament for Anninho, whom she believes has been killed, is combined with his response as he searches for her. Their story is one of longing – for each other, for freedom – and for revolution.
‘I want to stay here, Anninho.’
‘There won’t be any way
you can stay here.
When they catch us,
they’ll take you back.’
‘The men they kill,
the women they take back.’
When the Portuguese attack Palmares, Brazil’s last fugitive slave enclave, Almeyda and her husband are separated as they flee from the destruction. Amid the flight and re-enslavement of the inhabitants, their narrative emerges.
Two powerful, epic poems give voice to the lovers: Almeyda’s passionate lament for Anninho, whom she believes has been killed, is combined with his response as he searches for her. Their story is one of longing – for each other, for freedom – and for revolution.
‘I want to stay here, Anninho.’
‘There won’t be any way
you can stay here.
When they catch us,
they’ll take you back.’
‘The men they kill,
the women they take back.’
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Reviews
These are songs of longing and love, journeys of discovery and wholeness, revelations about trauma's deep impact on body and soul, and simultaneous declarations of resistance and acceptance. Readers enthralled by Palmares will enjoy the added dimensions here, while others will be moved by the historical Black voices and oral traditions Jones so powerfully evokes
Gayl Jones's work represents a watershed in American literature. From a literary standpoint, her form is impeccable; from a historical standpoint, she stands at the very cutting edge of understanding the modern world, and as a Black woman writer, her truth-telling, filled with beauty, tragedy, humour, and incisiveness, is unmatched. Jones is a writer's writer, and her influence is found everywhere
A literary giant, and one of my absolute favourite writers
Compelling . . . There is fierce and evocative intimacy in these songs that contrast sharply with the sweeping momentum and formidable amplitude of the storytelling in Palmares . . . For readers who are more encouraged than intimidated by Jones' steely focus and breadth of vision, this is an important stop on a remarkable journey. This book's magic is different than that of its predecessor, yet the spells they cast are comparably powerful