Winner of the Association of Nigerian Authors poetry prize and currently studying at Cornell, Ogaga Ifowodo has worked for eight years with Nigeria's foremost human rights group, the Civil Liberties Organisation, and was detained for two years by the military regime of General Sani Abacha, experiences which have deeply coloured his profound and striking poetry. Not since Pablo Neruda have I encountered a poet who better evidences the heart's full range' - Ken McClane, WEB Du Bois Prof. of Literature, Cornell 'A major poetic voice of his generation' - Biodun Jeyifo'