Hegel infamously said that history was a process of thesis (the current paradigm) bumping up against antithesis, which then (through war, debate, demographics) becomes a synthesis, a resolve, whether it be chaos or calm. The rite of passage of a child is similar. The typical model is the young child being totally dependent on the carer, living by the values of their parents; they are helped, to walk, to speak, to read, etc.. Then, when reaching their teenage years, they become independent, at least in their eyes; wanting to go out more, liking different things, rebelling even. Eventually, in this theoretical scenario, the synthesis is interdependence, or rapprochement or mutual relationship of empathy; the young adult, gets a job, a family and realises what the other side of the coin looks like. (more…)
Imtiaz Dharker
Imtiaz Dharker – Living Space
Today’s poem is by Imtiaz Dharker. Imtiaz is appearing on all round nice man Ian McMillan’s The Verb on Radio 3 on Friday 24th October at 10pm, so I wanted to feature her poem, Living Space. I feel it relates to Kei Millar’s This Zinc Roof because of the link with the fragility of the home in the developing world, where it is a metaphor for a whole country – ‘the whole structure leans dangerously towards the miraculous’.
I have also included Imtiaz reading from two of her poems on Bloodaxe, of which I particularly like, ‘They’ll say, “She must be from another country.” ‘ This is from a DVD of 30 poets reading their work.
Proletarian Poetry 