Linton Kwesi Johnson
Linton Kwesi Johnson | |
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activist | |
Years active | 1978–present |
Linton Kwesi Johnson
Early life
Johnson was born in
Johnson studied sociology at Goldsmiths College in New Cross, London, graduating in 1973.[4] Speaking in a 2018 interview about his start as a poet, he said: "I began to write verse, not only because I liked it, but because it was a way of expressing the anger, the passion of the youth of my generation in terms of our struggle against racial oppression. Poetry was a cultural weapon in the black liberation struggle, so that's how it began."[5] During the early to mid-1970s he was employed as the first paid library resources and education officer at the Keskidee Centre,[6][7] where his poem Voices of the living and the dead was staged, produced by Jamaican novelist Lindsay Barrett, with music by the reggae group Rasta Love. Johnson has recalled: "it was fantastic, you know, having written something and having it staged with actors and musicians. That was back in 1973 before I had a poem published anywhere. That was before anyone had ever heard of Linton Kwesi Johnson."[8]
Johnson wrote for
Career
Poetry
Most of Johnson's poetry is political, dealing mainly with the experiences of being an
Johnson's poems first appeared in the journal
A collection of his poems has been published as Mi Revalueshanary Fren by
Essays
Johnson's essays, spanning 50 years (1976-2021),
Music
Johnson's best-known albums include his debut
Johnson's work, allied to the Jamaican "
Johnson's record label LKJ Records, launched in 1981,[14] is home to other reggae artists, some of whom made up the Dub Band, with whom Johnson mostly recorded, and other dub poets, such as Jean "Binta" Breeze. Past releases on the label include recordings by Mikey Smith.[4]
Awards and honours
Johnson received a C. Day-Lewis Fellowship in 1977, and that year became writer-in-residence for the
In 2003, Johnson was bestowed with an honorary fellowship from his alma mater, Goldsmiths College, University of London. In 2004 he became an Honorary Visiting Professor of Middlesex University in London. In 2005 he was awarded a silver Musgrave Medal from the Institute of Jamaica for distinguished eminence in the field of poetry.[3] In 2012, he was awarded the Golden PEN Award by English PEN for "a Lifetime's Distinguished Service to Literature".[16][17][18]
He is a Trustee of the George Padmore Institute (GPI),[19] and is a contributor to the GPI's collection of dialogues Changing Britannia: Life Experience With Britain, edited by Roxy Harris and Sarah White (New Beacon Books, 1999).[20]
In August 2014, it was announced that he would receive the Jamaican national honour of the Order of Distinction in October that year.[21]
On 20 April 2017 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt.) by Rhodes University in South Africa.[22]
In July 2020, Johnson was awarded the PEN Pinter Prize – established in Harold Pinter's name to defend freedom of expression and celebrate literature – for his commitment to political expression in his work.[23][24] Announcing the award, the judges described Johnson as "a living legend", "a poet, reggae icon, academic and campaigner, whose impact on the cultural landscape over the last half century has been colossal and multi-generational.... His political ferocity and his tireless scrutiny of history are truly Pinteresque, as is the humour with which he pursues them."[25][26] Receiving the award at a live online event hosted by the British Library in October 2020, Johnson named Eritrean poet, poet, songwriter and journalist Amanuel Asrat as the "International Writer of Courage" with whom he would share the prize.[27][28][29]
Johnson is chair of 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning, an art gallery and learning institution in Brixton.[30]
Bibliography
- Voices of the Living and the Dead – Creation for Liberation, 1974. ISBN 978-0950349879
- Dread Beat An' Blood – ISBN 978-0904521061
- Inglan is a Bitch – ISBN 978-0950349824
- Tings An' Times – ISBN 978-1852241681
- Mi Revalueshanary Fren: Selected Poems – ISBN 978-0141186986
- Time Come – ISBN 9781035006328
Discography
- Dread Beat an' Blood – Virgin, 1978 (as Poet and the Roots).
- Forces of Victory – Island, 1979.
- Bass Culture – Island, 1980.
- The Best of Linton Kwesi Johnson – Epic, 1980 (compilation).
- LKJ in Dub – Island, 1980.
- Making History– Island, 1983.
- Reggae Greats – Mango, 1984 (compilation).
- In Concert with the Dub Band – LKJ Records, 1985.
- Dub Poetry – Mango, 1985 (compilation).
- Tings an' Times – LKJ Records, 1991.
- LKJ in Dub: Volume 2 – LKJ Records, 1992.
- LKJ Presents – LKJ Records, 1996.
- A Cappella Live – LKJ Records, 1996.
- More Time – LKJ Records, 1998.
- Independent Intavenshan – Island, 1998 (compilation).
- LKJ in Dub: Volume 3 – LKJ Records, 2002.
- Straight to Inglan's Head – Universal, 2003 (compilation).
- Live in Paris – Wrasse, 2004.
References
- ^ ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- ^ "(Media & Editorial Projects Ltd)". MEP Publishers. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
- ^ a b c Forbes; Peter (2002). "comtemporarywriters.com". Linton Kwesi Johnson. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
- ^ ISBN 0-7535-0242-9, pp. 147–148.
- ^ Aitkenhead, Decca (27 April 2018). "InterviewLinton Kwesi Johnson: 'It was a myth that immigrants didn't want to fit into British society. We weren't allowed'". The Guardian.
- ^ Paul Harper, "Islington’s Black History Month celebrates Keskidee Centre", Islington Gazette, 1 October 2011.
- ^ "Archive Showcase: June", George Padmore Institute, 13 June 2013.
- ^ "The Keskidee Centre (produced for" Islington as a Place of Refuge" online tour), Friends of Islington Museum.
- ^ a b Sharmilla Beezmohun, "Linton Kwesi Johnson", Enciclopedia de Estudios Afroeuropeos.
- ^ a b Wroe, Nicholas (8 March 2008). "I did my own thing". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ^ [The time has finally come for LKJ in prose https://mg.co.za/thought-leader/2023-08-01-the-time-has-finally-come-for-lkj-in-prose/], Richard Pithouse, Mail & Guardian, 1 August 2023
- ^ Grant, Colin (9 April 2023). "Review | Time Come by Linton Kwesi Johnson review – 50 years of rhyme and rage". The Observer.
- ^ Owolade, Tomiwa (2 April 2023). "Time Come by Linton Kwesi Johnson review — Is Inglan still a bitch?". The Sunday Times.
- ^ "Linton Kwesi Johnson", The Poetry Archive.
- ^ a b ""Linton Kwesi Johnson", Blue Flower Arts". Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
- ^ Alison Flood (3 December 2012). "Linton Kwesi Johnson wins Golden PEN award". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
- ^ "Golden Pen Award, official website". English PEN. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
- ^ Sarah Morrison, "Linton Kwesi Johnson: 'Class-ridden? Yes, but this is still home'", The Independent, 2 December 2012.
- ^ "Linton Kwesi Johnson", George Padmore Institute.
- ^ Jaggi, Maya (26 April 1999). "Why Linton is blowing his top". The Guardian.
- ^ Campbell, Howard (2014) "Marcia Griffiths to receive Order of Distinction", Jamaica Observer, 7 August 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
- ^ [The time has finally come for LKJ in prose https://mg.co.za/thought-leader/2023-08-01-the-time-has-finally-come-for-lkj-in-prose/], Mail & Guardian, 1 August 2023
- ^ Cowdrey, Katherine (7 July 2020). "'Living legend' Linton Kwesi Johnson wins PEN Pinter Prize 2020". The Bookseller. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ "Linton Kwesi Johnson awarded PEN Pinter Prize 2020". English PEN. 7 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ Flood, Alison (7 July 2020). "'Living legend' Linton Kwesi Johnson wins PEN Pinter prize". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ "Top literature prize for Linton Kwesi Johnson". Brixton Blog. 10 July 2020.
- ^ Cowdrey, Katherine (5 October 2020). "Eritrean poet Asrat named 2020's International Writer of Courage"". The Bookseller. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
- ^ Flood, Alison (13 October 2020). "Eritrean poet Amanuel Asrat named International Writer of Courage". The Guardian.
- ^ Peterson, Angeline (27 October 2020). "Imprisoned Eritrean Poet Amanuel Asrat Honored as Co-Winner of the 2020 PEN Pinter Prize". Brittle Paper. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
- ^ Onapa, Emmanuel (25 July 2022). "Linton Kwesi Johnson: 'My Generation Changed Britain'". AnOther. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
External links
- LKJ Records – News, releases, tour dates, etc.
- Linton Kwesi Johnson at British Council: Literature includes a "Critical Perspective" section
- Spike Magazine interview
- Interview with Yuri Prasad in Socialist Review (2002)
- "Linton Kwesi Johnson", The Poetry Archive
- "Linton Kwesi Johnson performs If I Woz a Tap Natch Poet", The Guardian, 11 December 2008.
- Discography at Discogs
- "Poetic justice: black lives and the power of poetry", The Observer, 28 June 2020.