Penguin Press signs Sode's 'thrillingly original' poetry debut

Penguin Press has signed a “thrillingly original” poetry debut on the Nigerian-British diaspora experience by Yomi Ṣode.

UK and Commonwealth rights in Manorism were acquired from Suresh Ariaratnam at Sprung Sultan, for publication by Penguin Poetry in spring 2022.

In poems exploring family, survival, generational trauma and the complexities of belonging, Manorism is an examination of the lives of Black British men and boys.

The publisher explained: “At the heart of the book is the ongoing pressure of code-switching – changing one’s behaviour and language to suit radically different cultural contexts and environments. The violence of artists such as Caravaggio in 17th-century Rome, and modern-day commentary by the likes of David Starkey and Piers Morgan, provide a lens for considering differences of impunity afforded to white and Black people. Snippets of Yoruba interweave with English, and a moving final sequence, part poetry, part play, charts the dramatic reconciliations surrounding a death in the family. The result is a thrillingly original book that charts the vulnerabilities and rich nuances of Black masculinity in Britain.”

Yomi Ṣode is a Nigerian-British poet, playwright, facilitator and recipient of the 2019 Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowship. His one-man show “COAT” toured nationally to sold-out audiences. In 2019 his essay "The F Word" was featured in Safe: 20 Ways To Be a Black Man in Britain (Trapeze), and in 2020 his libretto "Remnants", written in collaboration with award-winning composer James B Wilson and Chineke! Orchestra. was lauded by BBC Radio 3 and the Guardian. He is a Complete Works alumni, a member of Malika’s Poetry Kitchen and founder and co-host of BoxedIn, a poetry night held at Boxpark Shoreditch.

Ṣode said: “I’m very excited to bring Manorism into the world. It has lived with me, travelled with me, reflected with me and joined me at points of happiness and mourning. It is an honour to know my work will be joining the likes of Terrance Hayes, Caleb Femi and Claudia Rankine. I treasure this collection very much, and I can’t wait for folks to read it.”

Ariaratnam added: “Manorism speaks to a lived experience that for too long has been unheard. In this collection, Yomi Ṣode enables us to listen and in doing so extends our vision of the poetic terra cognita.”