The January Children

Fiction & Literature, Poetry
Cover of the book The January Children by Safia Elhillo, UNP - Nebraska
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Safia Elhillo ISBN: 9781496200075
Publisher: UNP - Nebraska Publication: March 1, 2017
Imprint: University of Nebraska Press Language: English
Author: Safia Elhillo
ISBN: 9781496200075
Publisher: UNP - Nebraska
Publication: March 1, 2017
Imprint: University of Nebraska Press
Language: English

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.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

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.

More books from UNP - Nebraska

Cover of the book The Modoc War by Safia Elhillo
Cover of the book Swords from the West by Safia Elhillo
Cover of the book The Cheyenne Indians, Volume 2 by Safia Elhillo
Cover of the book Wyoming Folklore by Safia Elhillo
Cover of the book The War for America, 1775-1783 by Safia Elhillo
Cover of the book The Dome in the Forest by Safia Elhillo
Cover of the book Great Plains Geology by Safia Elhillo
Cover of the book In Reach by Safia Elhillo
Cover of the book Twilight of the Long-ball Gods by Safia Elhillo
Cover of the book Saga of Chief Joseph by Safia Elhillo
Cover of the book San Francisco's Queen of Vice by Safia Elhillo
Cover of the book Michael and the Whiz Kids by Safia Elhillo
Cover of the book Wedded to the Game by Safia Elhillo
Cover of the book Publisher for the Masses, Emanuel Haldeman-Julius by Safia Elhillo
Cover of the book The Canadian Sioux by Safia Elhillo
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy