A BRIEF REVIEW OF MICHAEL NWAGBEGBE'S POEM, "THE HIGH-BREASTED HILLS" BY ONIS SAMPSON.

(THE POEM CAN BE READ ON LINES AND VERSES POETRY GROUP ON FACEBOOK)

I like this poem a 'whole whole' lot. I like it because I like a lot of things about it. It is imagistic; it is laden with the touch of poetic grandeur flowing out of beautiful and novel metaphors. It reminds me of some of our modern poets, their themes and their well developed movements, howbeit differently. The likes of Derek Walcot, Tade Ipadeola etc.

The Giant @ 53: Personal Reflections (Published on The People's Herald Newspaper on 1st October, 2013)

Today marks the Independence Day anniversary of our beloved country. Some fifty three years ago on this same date, the 1^st of October 1960, Nigeria became an independent nation. It was a moment of triumph for the Nigerian people. There was celebration all over the country. At last, we were off the grip and reign of imperialist subjugation. Self-rule, it was believed, will bring greater developments. Deplorably, this expectation was never actualized. Again, fifty three years… Fifty three years have passed away. Those are years of our common history as a nation. In commemorating this day, let us think, reflect, ponder and cogitate.

BOOK REVIEW OF EMMANUEL AYOOLA’S “COLD MURDER.”

BOOK REVIEW BY ONIS SAMPSON

13^th April, 2014

BOOK FACTS:

Author: Emmanuel Ayoola

Number of Pages: 126

Publisher: Beautiful Joy Publishers, Lagos, Nigeria

Year of Publication: 2013

ISBN: 978-978-325607-9

 SUMMARY

COLD MURDER unveils to us an aspect of societal malaise with a force of empathy that grips the reader. Serial murder forms the crux of the story perfectly narrated in this novella. How a peaceful town is turned topsy-turvy by the murder of Gboyega the politician, and three students of Model Girls’ Secondary School runs through the work; and then the ingenious investigations of Inspector Kolawole to unravel the mystery surrounding these murders are motifs that run through the work with riveting hold.

 Violence remains a recurring quagmire in virtually all human societies, present and past, howbeit seen in various forms. It is one of such forms of violence that Ayoola brings to the fore in ‘Cold Murder’— murder! In the prologue the narrator tells: