A Far Cry from Plymouth Rock: A Personal Narrative

by Kwame Dawes

Directly addressing the relationship with his father, a Marxist Caribbean nationalist, Kwame Dawes presents a memoir of intellectual rigor that is coupled with great tenderness. With the immediacy of a man thinking aloud and the careful structure of art that recalls the places that have molded his life—from Ghana and Jamaica to Canada and America—Dawes explores the nearly universal conditions of migrants. Ultimately about the joys of personal differences, this autobiography is a touching look into the life of a son, husband, and father.

160 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2006

About the author

Born in Ghana in 1962, Kwame Dawes spent most of his childhood and early adult life in Jamaica . As a poet, he is profoundly influenced by the rhythms and textures of that lush place, citing in a recent interview his "spiritual, intellectual, and emotional engagement with reggae music." His book Bob Marley: Lyrical Genius remains the most authoritative study of the lyrics of Bob Marley.

His 11th collection of verse, Wisteria: Poems From the Swamp Country, was published in January 2006. In February, 2007 Akashic Books published his novel, She's Gone and Peepal Tree Books published his 12th collection of poetry, Impossible Flying, and his non-fiction work, A Far Cry From Plymouth Rock: A Personal Narrative.

His essays have appeared in numerous journals including Bomb Magazine, The London Review of Books, Granta, Essence, World Literature Today and Double Take Magazine.

In October, 2007, his thirteenth book of poems, Gomer's Song will appear on the Black Goat imprint of Akashic Books. Dawes has seen produced some twenty of his plays over the past twenty-five years including, most recently a production of his musical, One Love, at the Lyric Hammersmith in London .

Kwame Dawes is Distinguished Poet in Residence, Louis Frye Scudder Professor of Liberal Arts and Founder and executive Director of the South Carolina Poetry Initiative. He is the director of the University of South Carolina Arts Institute and the programming director of the Calabash International Literary Festival, which takes place in Jamaica in May of each year.

Reviews

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dawes touches on the usual immigrant themes of identity and exile. Born in Ghana, raised in Jamaica, published in the U.K. and Canada, but living in U.S., he writes a lot about his struggle to accept that his children are becoming Americans and how he grapples to find a place to call "home" and a place to be buried. The narrative is very repetitive throughout, but it did give me a fuller understanding of many of his poems, especially those published in "Progeny of Air," so it is a good companion reader in that way.