Anthony Joseph The African Origins of UFOs Introduction by Lauri Ramey
Biographical
note: Anthony Joseph is a poet, musician and
lecturer. He was born in Trinidad, moving to the UK in his early
20s. He is the author of two poetry collections; Desafinado (1994)
and Teragaton (1997). In 2004 he was selected by the Arts Council
of England for the historic 'Great Day' photo as one of fifty writers
who have made major contributions to contemporary British literature.
He is a touring writer with the British Council and performs and
lectures internationally.
Biographical note: Lauri
Ramey is a poet and scholar whose PhD is in contemporary poetry from
University of Chicago. She is Director of the Center for Contemporary
Poetry and Poetics and a professor of creative writing and English
at California State University, Los Angeles. Her books include Black
British Writing (with R. Victoria Arana), Every Goodbye Ain’t
Gone (with Aldon Lynn Nielsen) and The Heritage Series of Black Poetry,
1962-1975 (with Paul Breman). Her poetry recently appeared in nthposition,
Poetrybay, NYC BigCityLit and Lounge Lit.
BIC Basic
EAN13: 9781844712724 ISBN-10: 1844712729 ISBN-13: 9781844712724 Author: Anthony
Joseph Title: The African
Origins of UFOs Series: Salt Modern
Poets Product class: BC Language: eng Audience: General/trade BIC subject category: CTCH1 Publisher: Salt
Publishing Pub date: 01-Oct-06 Extent: 160pp Height: 216 mm Width: 140 mm Thickness: 9 mm Weight: 216 gms Supplier:Gardners
Books Supplier:Ingram
Book Group Supplier:Inbooks
(James Bennett) Availability: NP Price: GBP 10.99 Price: USD 16.95 Rights: World
Short
description/annotation:The African Origins
of UFOs is a narrative in verse that alternates between future
– present and past. It is a fusion of science fiction, surrealism,
mythology and the carnivalesque rhythms of Trinidadian dialect. It
is a unique, genre-busting, hybrid text that blurs the boundaries
between prose and poetry and asks difficult questions about race,
memory and the future.
Main description: In
the hot and hedonistic atmosphere of Toucan Bay, a Caribbean enclave
on the planet Kunu Supia, the legendary hustler of bootleg melanin
Joe Sambucus Nigra returns from the desert with a price on his
head. Waiting for him at the seafront brothel and nightclub Houdini’s,
are several of his enemies including his arch nemesis, the gargantuan
hired assassin Bo Nuggy.
An unnamed, semi omniscient narrator relates the sequence of events
that unfold at Houdini’s the night of Joe Sam’s long
awaited return. His story is interrupted by periodic hallucinations
or genetic flashbacks that take the reader on a journey from ancient
Iere to Kunu Supia, via present day Trinidad. And in which the
past, present and future coalesce into a more expansive narrative
that reveals his own history through time and space.
The twenty-four chapters that comprise The African Origins
Of UFOs were written over a five year period. The text is
a time shifting narrative in poetic prose and poetry that fuses
elements of Science Fiction, surrealism, metafiction, Trinidadian
history and mythology, to explore issues of exile, race and genetic
memory, all told in a fresh and innovative language, infused with
the speech rhythms of Trinidad. It blends the diasporic with the
avant-garde into something which can only be called “afropsychedelic
noir.”
Table of contents:
Acknowledgements
Introduction by Lauri Ramey
1. Kneedeepinditchdiggerniggersweat
2. Malick
3. The Thunderstone
4. Killer Joe
5. Town
6. Hummingbird
7. Secret underlung
8. Extending out to brightness
9. Realtime trajectory of explicit love
10. On Kunu Land
11. Whisky lip papa
12. Aranguez
13. Ace Cannon
14. Caura
15. Voyage to the bottom of the sea
16. Malkadi
17. … before her body fell
18. Wallerfield
19. Joe Sam meets Bo Nuggy uptown
20. Crown of Thorns
21. the ’doption
22. On Kunu morn
23. She swam in heaven
24. The African Origins of UFOs
Excerpt from book:
Bo Nuggy
Bo Nuggy worked in the Jalo Ice Factory by day, by night he studied
Spinoza. But unknown to many, Bo was also also a felon for hire
whose bulk alone would terrorise. Bo Nuggy gut big to bully goons
for illicit brass in fibregrass alleys, Bo big but quick to whip
lash with cape stiff an cutlass blinking. Even so Bo gulp shook
when he considered Sambucus. He remembered seeing Joe muscle flex,
knocking iron in a spasm band on Jourvert morning, quick to clap
a man, plus Joe Sam real smart.
Earlier at the bar, Bo Nuggy talk gruff
an’ stutter, “J J J oe jus’ reach an’ a
g g goin’ in ’e m m, modicum!” And everyone laughed
and left him with the iron sweating in his palm. “History
is mine! a’ bound to mangle Joe Sam and s s sseize all genetic
contraband.”
Big Bo Nuggy wide like samaan tree trunk,
his gut swung low, his shaven skull bore scars and sketches of
wounds. his grin never blinked. Broad nosed and bearded Bo Nuggy
ate raw duck’s eggs and boiled hog at dawn, gut fulla dog
rice, tripe and split pea soup, cow heel porridge, yam and red
salted butter. Bo grew moss in the moist folds of his neck, smelled
like turtle rot. Step with foot them wide like young jookin’ board.
In private Bo Nuggy would kneel—“oh lawd, help me lose
this weight.” But the lord wasn’t listening.
But Bo Nuggy descended from a brace of ancient ierean robbers who
lived in hills above the lost city, dry river waterfall—where
crapaud smoke pipe if bad bush stroke the mythic behind you—Caribbean
gothic—catch you walking dead man hours they so with them
white handle razor. And Bo’s girth retained that seed and
his throat the melodious lilt of barrackyard lingo, an when Bo
came to rassle was with high hat flippin’ an a robbertalk
which induced cognitive dissonance. Then his aural pyrotechnics
would hypnotise negroes—his lip manipulated deft verbs and
lingual tourniquets with ferocious grace—and with ease would
then crack conks split with a thick guava stick or blaze fools
strict with a sawed off laser whip.
Bo smoked zutz of dank Kunu weed wrapped
in brown paper—guma guma—till tongue-tied. Wire kept
his boots tight.
Upstairs Houdini’s, behind the jamette
harem, fatback Bo Nuggy paced a small room well hid and lit by
a bouquet of candles. Bo Nuggy sweats. wipes. A dark green grease
that stains a rag reserved for washing ass and standing beside
a window, shifting the curtain with thick ringed fingers. across
the bay, sees, a spec of red ...
Some junker fiends been waiting for the prime melocyte oil. Since
Joe been gone they been hungry for crisp phials and now they start
swell up the entrance to Houdini’s, bulbous eyed and sunburnt,
venal for a glimpse of Joe arriving, somersaulting in their skins.
“Leo look the Congo pump coming!
run crack whisky, bus’ Gin!”
“Joe know Abobo in ‘e ass but
Joe back broad, know to separate dey bone from dey marrow.”
“Joe deals it proper Paco, he doh
eat nice, is liver oil an dasheen, whole cowfoot and butterbean
he so swallow whole.”
With a heavy hum the chrome Congo pump sweeping down from the darkness.
It hover rode the sleeping tide with antimatic suspension, hissing
imploding air, sparks buzzin’ round the engine. And a few
pale coons run down to the jetty when they hear the locomotion.
Bo Nuggy grinned but his sphincter quivered
as ship settled on the waterfront. And a sly beard of sweat slid
down his neck and chilled him to the wire. If he looked hard enough
he could see Joe Sam step down from the ship, knockin’ wrist
with waterfront bandits, grinning tears of coins. Bo Gut big, but
he ’fraid to temper Joe. His back bend tight, he pray,
“JJJoe Sam cccom———in.
goood laawd, have mercy–e on mi black arse tonight!”
Unpublished endorsement
: Joseph employs a syncretic, diasporic and
highly innovative blend of genres and styles, providing an example
of how diaspora becomes subject, inspiration and rationale for
the innovative use of form, while experimental traditions enable
him to show the diaspora in a fresh light.
Lauri Ramey
Unpublished endorsement
:The African Origins of UFOs tracks
the pull of place and the pull away from place, Afro-blue to
astro-black and what glimmers in between. “Genetic contraband” and “bootleg
melanin” afford a measure of the job it takes on. Possessing
or possessed by requisite bearings, language and lore, Anthony
Joseph is fully and beautifully up to the task.
Nathaniel Mackey
Unpublished endorsement
: This is great new ‘second generation’ Caribbean
stuff – movin away from the script & the scruff – or
ratha – betta! – writin upon it – over and
under it – a palimpsest to rahtid! – pouring out
images like Eno's – or UFOs!!!
Kamau Brathwaite
Unpublished endorsement
: Anthony Joseph is a talented writer with
a powerful imagination.
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