Dzifa Benson readings
'This is an amazing collection, not only for a debut but for a poet at any stage. It’s versatile and virtuosic, experimental and moving, complex and culturally important.' – Bernardine Evaristo
Dzifa Benson's debut poetry collection Monster is a bold and lyrical exploration of the Black female body as a site of oppression and resistance. At its heart is a brilliantly imagined study of the world of Sarah Baartman, aka the Hottentot Venus, a Khoikhoi woman from South Africa who was displayed in freak shows in 19th-century Europe. In her multi-faceted, highly inventive title-sequence Dzifa Benson frames Baartman’s voice within the social, political and legal structures of the day.
Other poems draw clear parallels with Benson’s own experience as a Black woman born in London but raised in Ghana who returned to the UK at the age of 18. The collection is an exciting mix of vivid lyricism, sometimes laced with dark humour, using complex poetry, monologue and theatrical devices. The influence of Shakespeare sits comfortably with references to Ewe mythology and history in a collection of wide scope and depth.
Dzifa Benson was born in London to Ghanaian parents and grew up in Ghana, Nigeria and Togo. She is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist whose work intersects science, art, technology, the body and ritual which she explores through poetry, prose, theatre, libretto, performance, curation, visual arts, immersive technologies, essays and criticism. Her poetry has been widely anthologied and recognised with fellowships from Jerwood Compton Poetry and Hedgebrook. She was shortlisted for the inaugural James Berry Poetry Prize in 2021. Her first collection, Monster, is published by Bloodaxe Books on 24 October 2024. Dzifa has toured South Africa and the UK with the British Council, is a Ledbury Poetry Critic and holds a Masters degree in Text & Performance from RADA and Birkbeck. She lives in London.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Monday 21 October 2024, 7pm BST
Bloodaxe Books October online launch event
Do join Bloodaxe for this launch reading by Dzifa Benson, Nia Davies and Helen Ivory celebrating the publication of our new October titles. All three poets will be reading live and discussing their work with the host, Bloodaxe editor Neil Astley. Watch live or later via YouTube.
Thursday 7 November, 7pm
Bloodaxe Showcase with Dzifa Benson and Sarah Holland-Batt
Culture Lab, Newcastle University
Dzifa will be reading from Monster alongside Australian poet Sarah Holland-Batt, who will be reading from The Jaguar: Selected Poems, which was published in September. Both poets will be in conversation with Bloodaxe editor Neil Astley.
Free event, all welcome. More details and booking here.
POEM VIDEO
Dzifa Benson: 'Self-portrait as a Creature of Numbers'
Dzifa Benson reads her poem 'Self-portrait as a Creature of Numbers' from the Bloodaxe anthology Staying Human at Oxford House in London in 2020 on the eve of the second national lockdown. This poem is included in Monster.
[15 October 2024]
