An interview with Roger Robinson, winner of the 2019 T.S. Eliot Prize in poetry

Written by Janine Mendes-Franco for Global Voices on Friday, February 14th, 2020

Maybe it’s the sting of dissent, maybe it’s the hint of West Indian swagger that makes the reader curious to see where Robinson's poems go, but he has a rare ability to place himself in the midst of things and yield to that immersion, yet remain a truthful observer. Robinson's words are a balm to the bitterness of life — the collection compassionately recognises the humanity within us all, bound together by an almost reverent tone of dignity, even in powerlessness.