Years of Fire and Ash

A unique anthology containing over five decades of protest poetry. Years of Fire and Ash. brings together fifty years of South African poetry for the first time, edited by young literary critic and lecturer Dr Wamuwi Mbao. The animating impulse behind this collection of old and new voices is ‘decolonisation’, a term which has regained prominence over the last few years. It allows us to perceive how different South African poets have placed their work in the world, and how that work might relate to the struggle for radical social transformation. How, then, does decolonisation look like in the world of South African poetry. This anthology is an attempt to answer that question. The poems express the thoughts and experiences of poets who experienced Apartheid, but also of those who address current political realities. This collection includes established voices as well as prominent contemporary poets.