CHRONICLES OF A HOSTILE SUN BY DIONE BRAND: THE ARS POETICA OF A POLITICS OF LOCATION

Abstract

Chronicles of the Hostile Sun (1984), the fourth poetry collection by the Trinidadian poet Dionne Brand, is centered around politics, since it deals with the Grenada revolution during 1979-1983 and the American occupation during the operation “Urgent Fury”, in October 1983. It is possible to analyze this book focusing on the interaction between register (the diary format) and poetry, as well as the reflection about the function of poetic language amid political failure. Thus, the purpose of this article is to analyze the metapoetic construction carried by Brand in this book using the concept of politics of location, developed by the feminist geographer Gillian Rose and inspired by the poet Adrienne Rich. It is from that perspective that one can construct an ars poetica in this book by Brand, one that is built upon the use of pathos to create fraternity, empathy, whose failure is connected with the death of revolutionary ideals.