The New Type of Poetry of the Late 20th Century: Black British Poetry

Black British Poetry

In the late 20^th century, British Poetry was influenced by a variety of themes, social progress, and political progress/events. British multiculturalism also influenced British Poetry. Since WWII the United Kingdom has seen an influx of immigration that has radically altered its nature. The population has changed from one that was overwhelmingly wide and ethnically British and Christian to one constituted by cultures, drawn from around the world. British Poetry has gradually moved from native to non-native, especially during the start of the 1980s.  A reason for this variety is decolonization. Previously, the central things were: men, the white race, and western culture. However, all these things were decentred, and new influences were introduced to British Poetry. This time, minority groups like black women, Irish, Scottish and so many other influences were progressively centred.

Political Poetry

Black people started to gradually raise their voices. Black British poets were not appropriately recognised in the past, however they gained recognition after the 1980s. One of the most important and popular people in Black British Poetry is Linton Kwesi Johnson. Another person we can add to this category of poetry, is Jackie Kay.

As immigrants in England, black people were only seen as “so-called” British citizens. They were not happy in England, as they were treated as “the other”. Many people did not want to employ them or rent them houses. They were given the worst jobs, for the least money. Therefore, a lot of their poems were complaints.

Black British Poetry is a type of political poetry, it includes satire, criticism, politics, and ideology. It is also referred to as Dub Poetry, Beat Poetry, Performance Poetry, Jazz Poetry, and Rastafarianism (which is a cultural movement). Caribbean poet Bob Marley’s reggae music contained many terms associated with Black British Poetry.

Dub Poetry

Dub Poetry is a phrase coined by Black British Poet Linton Kwesi Johnson to denote poems written to be performed with musical accompaniment. Dub Poetry is invariably more readily available on records than in books, a situation which evolved through the collaboration between poets and West Indian, or Black British disc jockeys.  Populist in appeal, Dub Poetry is often political, and performed in Creole or Nation Language is a specific type of English used by Black British People on purpose. It is a distorted version of English. They changed the language to harm the English language, to fight back.  Poems by Dub poets such as Linton Kwesi Johnson, Benjamin Zephaniah reflect a collective psyche laden with anguish and rage.

So, the tone in their poems is quite angry. Michael Smith, a Jamaican Rastafarian, was the foremost Dub poet in the West Indies, and the radicalism of his poetry, in both its “subversive” political message and Nation Language style, was also too tragically confirmed, perhaps, when he was stoned to death during the Jamaican general election campaign of 1983.

( Kut Belenli, Pelin. “Black British Poetry” CBP. Dumlupınar University, Kütahya 6)

4 Essential Books of Virginia Woolf