Writers on poetry’s power to change the world
Writers reveal the poetry that has rocked the world and the music that soundtracked a year of protest across 110th Street
In a sword fight, a pen might not, despite all suggestions to the contrary, be mightier. But poet and novelist Ben Okri is certain words on a page have the power to change the world and believes the poets of the past continue to shed light on the present.
The Nigerian writer has sifted through a staggering 10,000 pieces of work to find 100 of the best political poems and song lyrics from around the world for his new book.
The project involved translating hundreds of poems but Okri, who was the youngest ever winner of the prestigious Booker Prize, says even works which are centuries old are relevant to modern-day politics.
Okri, who is coming to Holyrood to discuss his anthology, won acclaim earlier this year for his poem Grenfell Tower, June, 2017 – a powerful response to the London fire that killed 72 people in their homes. But he says there are any number of historical poems which would have helped make sense of this tragedy. He said: “The themes are the same even if the circumstance or the characters change; power, greed, wealth, injustice – they feature in every society and have been captured in the great poems of the time.
“The truth is these are good poems, great poems that happen to be about politics.”
Okri’s book, Rise Like Lions: Poetry For The Many, features poems from around the world as well as well-known song lyrics from the likes of Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye and Bob Dylan. He described it as a “labour of love” and hinted there may be a second volume.
He explained: “I read something like 10,000 poems, had so many translated, so the long list was very long but there is a wealth of material out there.
“I am not ashamed to say it is good. Great poems should grab you by the roots of your soul.”
“People sometimes say poetry is not for them but it is just because they have not been exposed to enough of it, or at least enough good poetry.” Okri, who has his work has been translated into 27 languages and has won numerous international literary prizes, added: “The best way to enjoy poetry is to read it out aloud, there is so much more appreciation for what the poem is trying to say.”