The Chattering Wagtails Of Mikuyu Prision

Formerly Head of the English Department, University of Malawi, Jack Mapanje was brutally arrested and imprisoned without trial for four years. Following his release in 1991, he moved to Britain with his wife and family. He has recently been appointed Northern Arts Writer-in Residence and now spends much of his time visiting prisons and lecturing on his experiences in Malawi.

Dedicated to “the black and white writers and human rights sages throughout the world who prayed and fought for my freedom,” this new volume of poetry damns the Malawian regime that incarcerated Mapanje. The collection reveals Mapanje’s initial reaction to the banning of his last volume in Malawi and his subsequent imprisonment in Mikuyu Prison, and includes poems written since his release and exile from his native land.