A rich, joyful collection of poems on living and loving from the Booker Prize–winning author.
Freedom is the most precious commodity in the world. In this powerful collection, the celebrated novelist, essayist, dramatist, and poet Ben Okri explores the beauty contained in each one of us—the freedom of our spirit, the child within. He recalls the death of his father, the sacrifices of his mother, the hidden river of Edinburgh, falling in love. He writes about Virgil and Mozambique, about ringing the bell for freedom, the dreams of Calliope and the full moon. He enters the fifth circle, sings of the roses of spring, and aligns the pyramids to the magic stars.
This is a gorgeous, exciting collection for everyone who loves Ben Okri’s vibrant style, and a perfect introduction to new readers of his poetry.
I SING A NEW FREEDOM
I sing a new freedom In days of fire. Freedom with discipline. We need freedom to rise higher. Be true to your true self In the rich follies of our times. Become the force you are In this era of economic crimes. Only those who remain free in spirit Will find their way out of this maze. But we are children of the stars, And we ought to amaze.
“[Okri’s] writing takes on the great riddles of existence—freedom and consciousness, truth and illusion, suffering and transcendence—spinning them into shimmering, allegorical texts...at a time of deep reckoning and crisis...his work feel[s] all the more prescient.” —New York Times
“Fiction’s master of enchantments stares down a real horror, and without blinking or flinching, produces a work of beauty, grace, and uncommon power.” —Marlon James
“Ben Okri is that rare thing, a literary and social visionary, a writer for whom all three—literature, culture, and vision—are profoundly interwoven.” —Ali Smith
Ben Okri is a playwright, poet, novelist, essayist, short-story writer, anthologist, and aphorist. He has also written film scripts. His works have won numerous national and international prizes, including the Booker Prize for Fiction. His books include the eco-fable Every Leaf a Hallelujah, the play Changing Destiny, the genre-bending climate fiction Tiger Work, the poetry collections A Fire in My Head, Wild, Mental Fight, and An African Elegy, and the novels The Last Gift of the Master Artists, The Age of Magic, Dangerous Love, and Astonishing the Gods. In 2023 he received a knighthood for services to literature.
View titles by Ben Okri
A rich, joyful collection of poems on living and loving from the Booker Prize–winning author.
Freedom is the most precious commodity in the world. In this powerful collection, the celebrated novelist, essayist, dramatist, and poet Ben Okri explores the beauty contained in each one of us—the freedom of our spirit, the child within. He recalls the death of his father, the sacrifices of his mother, the hidden river of Edinburgh, falling in love. He writes about Virgil and Mozambique, about ringing the bell for freedom, the dreams of Calliope and the full moon. He enters the fifth circle, sings of the roses of spring, and aligns the pyramids to the magic stars.
This is a gorgeous, exciting collection for everyone who loves Ben Okri’s vibrant style, and a perfect introduction to new readers of his poetry.
Excerpt
I SING A NEW FREEDOM
I sing a new freedom In days of fire. Freedom with discipline. We need freedom to rise higher. Be true to your true self In the rich follies of our times. Become the force you are In this era of economic crimes. Only those who remain free in spirit Will find their way out of this maze. But we are children of the stars, And we ought to amaze.
“[Okri’s] writing takes on the great riddles of existence—freedom and consciousness, truth and illusion, suffering and transcendence—spinning them into shimmering, allegorical texts...at a time of deep reckoning and crisis...his work feel[s] all the more prescient.” —New York Times
“Fiction’s master of enchantments stares down a real horror, and without blinking or flinching, produces a work of beauty, grace, and uncommon power.” —Marlon James
“Ben Okri is that rare thing, a literary and social visionary, a writer for whom all three—literature, culture, and vision—are profoundly interwoven.” —Ali Smith
Ben Okri is a playwright, poet, novelist, essayist, short-story writer, anthologist, and aphorist. He has also written film scripts. His works have won numerous national and international prizes, including the Booker Prize for Fiction. His books include the eco-fable Every Leaf a Hallelujah, the play Changing Destiny, the genre-bending climate fiction Tiger Work, the poetry collections A Fire in My Head, Wild, Mental Fight, and An African Elegy, and the novels The Last Gift of the Master Artists, The Age of Magic, Dangerous Love, and Astonishing the Gods. In 2023 he received a knighthood for services to literature.
View titles by Ben Okri
