Monster

By: Dzifa Benson

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Paperback | 24 October 2024

At a Glance

Paperback
138 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
23.4 x 15.8 x 1.27

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The exciting and complex debut collection from Dzifa Benson, Monster is a bold and lyrical exploration of the Black female body as a site of oppression and resistance. At its heart is a study of the world of Sarah Baartman, aka the Hottentot Venus, a Khoikhoi woman from South Africa who was displayed in freak shows in 19th-century Europe. Baartman's voice is framed within the social, political and legal structures of the day, offering a unique perspective.

Other poems draw clear parallels with Benson's own experience as a Black woman born in London but raised in Ghana who returned to the UK at the age of 18. The collection is a mix of vivid lyricism, sometimes laced with dark humour, using complex poetry, monologue and theatrical devices. The influence of Shakespeare sits comfortably with references to Ewe mythology and history in a collection of wide scope and depth. This is a highly accomplished first collection by a mature voice. As one of a small group of published Black women poets, Benson makes an important contribution to current British poetry with the publication of Monster.

Industry Reviews

This is an amazing collection, not only for a debut but for a poet at any stage. It's versatile and virtuosic, experimental and moving, complex and culturally important. -- Bernardine Evaristo
These are the most brilliant and accomplished poems I have read in many years. This is what truly great poetry is about. In Dzifa Benson's poems something that seemed lost is now found, the familiar becomes strange again and we're guided through a wilderness that blossoms before our eyes as the poet strikes rock after rock of ancestral grief and crystalline revelations stream forth. -- Lorna Goodison
Dzifa Benson's collection is so many things, a careful unfurling and retelling of the story of Saartjie Baartman; deeply penetrating as it is intelligent as it is compassionate...the pages in this book contain a carefully controlled rage allied to an attention to language, form and music. This debut announces a vital new voice; Dzifa Benson is a brilliantly original poet who refuses to turn away, who resolves to commit to write into the pain and horrors of our buried histories. This is an exceptional debut. -- Mona Arshi

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