{"product_id":"homelands-9781781726549","title":"Homelands","description":"\u003csection\u003e\u003ch3\u003eDisgrifiad Cymraeg \/ Welsh Description\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMae cerddi Homelands yn gyfoethog ddeniadol mewn goslef, pwnc ac emosiwn. Magwyd Eric Ngalle Charles yng nghwlad Cameroon, gorllewin yr Affrig, ac mae ei waith yn adlewyrchu'r tirwedd hardd eithriadol sydd yno, y diwylliant o chwedloniaeth lachar a thraddodiadau cerddorol a llenyddol trawiadol, ynghyd â gwleidyddiaeth ffrwydrol a deinameg teuluol cythryblus.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003csection\u003e\u003ch3\u003eDisgrifiad Saesneg \/ English Description\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe poems in Homelands by Eric Ngalle Charles are irresistibly rich in tone, subject and emotion. Native to Cameroon in west Africa, he grew up in a landscape of stunning natural beauty and in a culture of vivid mythology and striking musical and literary traditions, but with uncertain and volatile politics and a sometimes-troubled family dynamic.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003csection\u003e\u003ch3\u003eDosbarthu\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eByddwn yn dosbarthu eitemau sydd mewn stoc o fewn 3 diwrnod gwaith, fel arfer drwy Royal Mail Tracked 48. Ar gyfer archebion o flaen llaw, byddwn yn dosbarthu’r eitem o fewn 3 diwrnod gwaith ar ôl ei derbyn gan ein cyflenwr.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eDispatch\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn-stock items will be dispatched within 3 business days, usually by Royal Mail Tracked 48. For pre-orders, we’ll dispatch within 3 business days of receiving the item from our supplier.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003ch3\u003eManylion y cynnyrch \/ Product details\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN 13\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003e9781781726549\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGwales Code\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003egwales.com.9781781726549\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGwerthwr \/ Vendor\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eCyngor Llyfrau Cymru\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLong Title\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eHomelands\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAwdur \/ Author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eCharles, Eric Ngalle\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCurrent Price ex VAT\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003e£9.99\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCurrent Price inc VAT\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003e£9.99\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability Status (EN)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eAvailable\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability Status (CY)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eAr gael\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDyddiad cyhoeddi \/ Publication Date\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003e2022-04-11\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCyhoeddwr \/ Publisher\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eSeren\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMedia Type (EN)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003ePaperback \/ softback\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMedia Type (CY)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eClawr meddal\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003e64 pages\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSize\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003e138 × 216 mm\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLanguage Code\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eEnglish\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCategori \/ Category\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eCY: Barddoniaeth (yn Saesneg) | EN: Poetry (in English)\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs-gategori \/ Subcategory\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eCY: Beirdd Unigol (yn Saesneg) | EN: Individual Poets (in English)\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003c\/dl\u003e\u003csection\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBywgraffiad yr Awdur \/ Author Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEric Ngalle Charles was born in the west African state of Cameroon, a country rich in mythology and natural beauty, but with a troubled colonial history. Arriving in Wales as a near-penniless migrant, after being trafficked to Russia by a criminal gang, he has remade his life as a poet\/writer, and dazzling performer of his own work. His début poetry collection, Homelands , follows his memoir I, Eric Ngalle (Parthian)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003csection\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAdolygiad y Cyhoeddwr \/ Publisher Review\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the poem ‘Bus 18 to Ely’, Eric Ngalle Charles is faced with an overtly racist bus driver. The driver shamelessly explains to him exactly what ‘types’ of black people he does and doesn’t have a problem with. Largely remaining silent, Charles’s minimal contribution to the conversation is his own cartoonish racism as he declares himself to also have a racist bent. He is, so he claims, a head-hunter intent on seeking and revenge-killing white Zimbabweans. “Are you by any chance a white Zimbabwean?” he asks. This inversion of the conversation is both confusing and amusing, defusing the situation. The poem ends: “We laughed” . This deft linguistic dance that takes an encounter from confrontational to amusing in two short pages is a great example of Charles’s skill as a writer. Homelands is his debut collection of poetry and it is full of similarly interesting, relatable, yet uniquely personal insights into his own identity and personal history. Homelands is split into three parts, crudely slicing Charles’s life into three sections. ‘Cameroon’ contains poems about his childhood home (and childhood), while ‘Displacements’ covers his time displaced by human traffickers. The final third, ‘Cymru’, brings the reader up to date with his life in his adopted homeland, Wales. Charles’s life story is a fascinating one that is screaming out for a Hollywood film adaptation. Born and raised in Cameroon, he was taken by human traffickers to Moscow, where his ability to control his own destiny was dramatically lessened. His skills as a linguist, picking up Russian far quicker than most, alongside his natural charm and understanding of people, were his saving grace and his ticket out of the country. He eventually found his way to Wales, where he’s now based as a writer. It’s no surprise that Charles has put his skills to use as a poet; he is a natural with words and he flits between languages naturally and easily. Many of the poems in Homelands are footnoted with a glossary explaining the Bakweri, Russian, and pidgin English words and phrases he uses. In ‘If Heaven Is Her Father’s Land, Her Father Can Keep It’, the subsequent glossary appears to be at least half the length of the poem itself. In anyone else’s hands, this may be seen to be counterintuitive, negating the beauty and succinctness of the poetry, yet it feels like a lesson that adds shade, colour and detail to what’s been written. Reading Homelands , one could be forgiven for surmising that the two great loves of Charles’s life are people and words. He writes beautifully and directly about those he loves – his mother, wife and daughter – as well as sympathetically painting those who arguably are less deserving of his sympathy – racist bus drivers, for example. His use of language implies an understanding and clarity of purpose like no other. If a Bakweri word holds his meaning most accurately, then that will be what’s used, even in a poem entirely in English. This is a true poet in action: focused on using as few words as possible to share a complex story with clarity. Well worth reading.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e","brand":"Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58819487793526,"sku":"9781781726549","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0041\/5340\/9585\/files\/9781781726549_12dd1db0-500b-4161-9021-8bf04ffd9824.jpg?v=1790353468","url":"https:\/\/www.siopypentan.co.uk\/products\/homelands-9781781726549","provider":"Siop Y Pentan","version":"1.0","type":"link"}