The January Children

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Pub Date 01 Mar 2017 | Archive Date 31 Mar 2017

Description

Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets
2018 Arab American Book Award Winner, Poetry

"A taut debut collection of heartfelt poems."Publishers Weekly

In her dedication Safia Elhillo writes, “The January Children are the generation born in Sudan under British occupation, where children were assigned birth years by height, all given the birth date January 1.” What follows is a deeply personal collection of poems that describe the experience of navigating the postcolonial world as a stranger in one’s own land.

The January Children depicts displacement and longing while also questioning accepted truths about geography, history, nationhood, and home. The poems mythologize family histories until they break open, using them to explore aspects of Sudan’s history of colonial occupation, dictatorship, and diaspora. Several of the poems speak to the late Egyptian singer Abdelhalim Hafez, who addressed many of his songs to the asmarani—an Arabic term of endearment for a brown-skinned or dark-skinned person. Elhillo explores Arabness and Africanness and the tensions generated by a hyphenated identity in those two worlds.

No longer content to accept manmade borders, Elhillo navigates a new and reimagined world. Maintaining a sense of wonder in multiple landscapes and mindscapes of perpetually shifting values, she leads the reader through a postcolonial narrative that is equally terrifying and tender, melancholy and defiant.  

Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets
2018 Arab American Book Award Winner, Poetry

"A taut debut collection of heartfelt poems."Publishers Weekly

In her dedication Safia Elhillo writes, “The...


Advance Praise

“The first sound of what will be a remarkable noise in African poetry. Safia Elhillo has already laid out in this collection a complex foundation for a rich and complex body of work. What is unmistakable is her authority as a poet—she writes with great control and economy, but also with a vulnerability that is deeply engaging. Above all, her poems are filled with delight—a quality of humor that is never trite but always honest and insightful.”—from the foreword by Kwame Dawes

“The first sound of what will be a remarkable noise in African poetry. Safia Elhillo has already laid out in this collection a complex foundation for a rich and complex body of work. What is...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780803295988
PRICE $15.95 (USD)
PAGES 90

Average rating from 11 members


Featured Reviews

A great collection of poetry. It's nice to read works from outside of the mainstream.

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I am not a huge poetry fan but did enjoy The January Children. While learning more about Sudan and the cultural differences, I found it interesting that many words didn't translate well. My daughter has taught English to Spanish speakers, should it should not have been a surprise.

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I loved the themes of colonization, diaspora, and the issues of identity that these states create in the author.

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