Manorism

by Yomi Sode

Manorism is a poetic examination of the lives of Black British men and boys: propped up and hemmed in by contemporary masculinity, deepened by family, misrepresented in the media, and complicated by the riches, and the costs, of belonging and inheritance. It is also an exploration of the differences of impunity afforded to white and Black people, and to white and Black artists.

Caravaggio - originally, unexpectedly - looms large: as a man who moved between spheres of exalted patronage and petty criminality; as a painter who, amid the elegant conventions of late Mannerism, forged his own style of visceral dark and light; and as an individual whose recognized genius was allowed to legitimate and excuse his violence.

In this profound and moving debut, Yomi Sode asks: what does it mean to find oneself between worlds - to 'code-switch', adapting one's speech and manners to widely differing cultural contexts? Who is, and who isn't, allowed to be more than their origins? And what do we owe each other? What do we owe ourselves?

Genres: Poetry, Fiction

106 pages, Paperback

First published October 10, 2022

Reviews

[Roman Clodia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of channeled Black urban anger poems offset by a more tender series mourning the death of a female relative.

This is not a criticism but it seems to me that Sode's poetry works more effectively as oral, performance verse rather than textual, written-down verse - its complexity and power is in the emotion and ideas that are articulated with force and a directness that is about a strong voice and a pointed passion. It doesn't require the extended textual attention that the poetry of, say, Derek Walcott requires with its complex multilayered allusions and intertexts, metaphors and puns and wordplay with switching modes of prosody.

What Sode does brilliantly, though, is to articulate a sense of Black urban masculinity and anxiety for our historical moment: the fear of unwarranted confrontations with the police, the institutionalised/systemic racism that offers the grace of understanding and another chance to a white 'bad boy' like Caravaggio but which is withheld from generations of Black men and women, the vile abuse suffered by public Black figures like Diane Abbott to the everyday racism of being asked to pay for a meal before it's served when the white couple at the next table are not required to do the same. Sode quotes from news stories: Stormzy, David Starkey's abusive genocide remark, Dominic Raab's ignorant comment on taking the knee, the unforgivable abuse of Bukayo Saka after the World Cup...

Alongside this political public poetry, is the series of grieving and mourning poems: emotive pieces on the mothers who learn that their young Black sons have been killed in police custody, and the narrator's own over-spilling feelings at the death of Big Mummy, made even more potent by the cultural prohibitions on Black men who cry.

This is a short collection but it feels absolutely contemporary in its fierce political engagement. It also sits well alongside Caleb Azumah Nelson's Open Water which opens up a mode through which to articulate the emotional and vulnerable side of Black masculinity that is all too often eroded and erased by cultural stereotypes.

Many thanks to Penguin for an ARC via NetGalley

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like Surge or Poor (or what little I read of Citizen), this is a collection driven by outrage and longing for justice for Black people. I suspect that, like those precursors, this is a book best heard in performance, given that Sode honed his skills on London's open mic circuit.

The first third of the book is under the heading "Aneephya," a word he coined and defines as "the stress toxin of inherited trauma" - from slave ships to police checks. My two favourites were from this section: "L'Appel du Vide," in which he ponders microaggressions while cooking a traditional West African mackerel and okra stew; and "A Plate of Artichokes," about the time a waiter made him pre-pay for his meal and he went along with it even though he suspected other customers weren't being asked to do the same.

Nigerian culture, rap music, being a father, and Black brotherhood are other themes, with recurring allusions to the work of Caravaggio. I also liked the long section on the decline and death of his great-aunt ("Big Mummy") from cancer.

This was a book that made me feel super-white, but that's not a problem. I can recognize its importance and appeal while also accepting that it's not supposed to be for me.

[Spens (Sphynx Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5

A solid poetry collection focused on the frustrations and grief of Black Brittain. I was a little lost in some of the poems but the ones I did get were quite contemplative.

[Carmijn Gerritsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sode talks about a number of topics, from black Britishness to masculinity, community and popular culture. I really enjoyed how this collection included both lyrical poems and more narrative-style pieces.

[Jungian.Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisite, remarkable, amazing, delectable, and more. I really dont want to say much because this is one that you need to experience yourself. I was fortunate to attend a reading event with the Author himself and it really brought each of these poems to life and the thread between each poetry in this collection!

As a Yoruba girl, I am so happy to read this book. It starts out in my mother tongue, and it just made me so giddy. Anyways, this is collection that centres and revolves around contemporary Black masculinity, race, fragility, family & community, sexuality, boyhood, fatherhood, Black bodies, fear of death, illness, culture, death and loss.

This is a masterclass in parallel circuitry, and it was beautifully electric. Yomi draws on the Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio the famous Italian painter who was able to smoothly escape from the gallows even after killing a man that insulted his honour and person. He was able to use his talent (painting) to buy his freedom. Yomi asks and, in a sense, answers in this collection, why it is easy for a white man to escape his wrongdoing, while a Black man is not given the same opportunity. Why does the fear that the white man harbour in his heart, lead to the death or oppression of the Black man? Why have black men decided to internalise and exhibit the fragility born of ignorance and privileged that the white man has without realising that because of their Blackness they are not perceived the same?
If Caravaggio can kill a man because of his honour, the Black man does not dare do the same.

Some of my favourite poems are "PC Joshua Savage Pulls Leon Fontana Over for a Routine Check" ; wherein he says "What is there to teach white men who do not feel their power? Is it our fault or theirs that in confrontation they feel less empire, more artifact - less demigod and more a future meme? another is "Manorism II: A Thanos Theory" ; wherein he says "Mocking a movement because its's not his problem. Blud, who needs this fantasy, when an Empire carved its narrative on Black lives for generation, so deep it's still her with us, & it loops through me".

I highly recommend this book.

[Bukola Akinyemi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mother's prayers for her son. Masculinity. Being Black and British. Silence culture. Intergenerational differences. Cultural differences. Fatherhood. Brotherhood.

These themes are explored in a very accessible manner in this collection of poems and conversations.

I've had this book on my shelf for a while, and I'm not sure why it took me so long to pick it up, but I wish I had read it sooner. Don’t miss out like I did. Pick it up now.

There’s also an audiobook narrated by Yomi himself, featuring recorded conversations with his friend and cousin. Very cool.

[Liv Cawgurl · Rating 5 out of 5]

a beautiful and tender exploration of being black, and particularly black masculinity, in britain. Ṣode is an incredible poet.

[Tom Mooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely astonishing.

[Seher]

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for the chance to read and review this book!

While ultimately I didn't find this collection particularly memorable, there were some interesting pieces. I was particularly fond of 'For Man is Man and Master of Fate'. I will be re-reading this collection in the future!

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is beautifully written but I couldn’t give it five stars because to me this needs to be spoken to you rather than just read by yourself. also, listened to folklore while reading it and it made me cry <3

[Aidan · Rating 4 out of 5]

very moving

[Katy Wheatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fierce, angry abrasive poems about colonialism, race and the black experience in Britain, interlaced its thoughts on Caravaggio and an extended and gorgeously personal musing on death, this is, at times hard reading. It gives no quarter to the reader. Raw, gorgeous language full of fury and justifiable anger. This is something to savour and learn from.

[Patty Aryee · Rating 5 out of 5]

POIGNANT . CURRENT. EXPOSING . RAW . HILARIOUS. HARD HITTING . GENTLE . TENSE . ENLIGHTENING . FUNNY

So I read this in one sitting!

I went in expecting to feel inspired ..I didn't expect to also feel challenged, validated, riled up, soothed, seen and understood to the level that I was.

Yomi really put so much soul into this and I loved the exploration into black British masculinity, childhood, friendship, family, the way we carry ourselves in society and the realisation that he deserves so much more than the limited way he's been made to experience this life.
This collection is deeply insightful while still demonstrating the skill to read like a one on one conversation with Yomi himself.

There is a message of community that runs through the entire collection (whatever you perceive that to be):
- The community around us and how we try to fit into that
- The community we build for ourselves and the responsibility that comes with that
- The people who build us into their communities and what comes with being needed in that way.

More than anything, this collection is incredibly moving and there is something in it for us all.

[erika ✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yomi Sode provides us with commentary on white privilege, gang dynamics, grief and masculinity, driven by anger and longing for justice for Black people.

The poems cover a range of topics including black masculinity and anxiety, the fear of confrontations with the police and the systemic racism that offers understanding for people coming from a white privileged background as opposed to Black men and women. Specifically, this is depicted very well through a series of mentions of Caravaggio, an artist whom I had never heard of before. Upon googling him, whilst reading the poems, I found very little mention of the crimes he committed and the aggression permeating his life. Why is it that a famous white artist is now celebrated, but if a man or woman of another race was to commit those same crimes, they would be remembered in bad light and their actions would be constantly talked about by society? As it stands, many of the poems in this collection reference Caravaggio and his paintings, exploring the fact that people still comment on the artists greatness and importance in the history of the Baroque movement, failing to acknowledge the horrifying truth. Yomi Sode sets out to educate those like myself who never knew about this injustice and make the reader ask questions that many of society's members may be too uncomfortable to ask.

Sode often quotes from news stories, having done intensive research and giving us insight into other injustices: recent ignorant comments made in the media as well as racial hate we have lived through in our lifetime such as the unforgivable abuse black players from the England squad received after missing penalties in the World Cup. I couldn't believe my eyes when I read a comment made by David Starkey, a historian, radio and television presenter - "Slavery was not genocide, otherwise there wouldn't be so many damn blacks in Africa or in Britain, would there?"

Alongside, the political message, there is also a series of poems focusing on grief and mourning of relatives and other people of the Black community, bringing to light the fact that articulating ones emotions and vulnerability is fine even for Black men, who often frown upon 'crying'.

I agree with another reviewer, who mentioned that Sode's poetry perhaps works more effectively as oral performance. Sone honed his skills through open mic performances and you can hear their echoes through reading his lines, but they would deliver more of a blow if they were spoken. They are full of British/London slang and references that many people may find unfamiliar and struggle to understand at first, however this is what makes them come across as more raw and relatable.

Whilst this is a short collection, it is incredibly powerful and educational, calling out both historical and current injustices.

Here are a few of my favorite poems and lines:
- La Porte du non-retour

" Yemoja! Were these not your children being taken? Were they not calling for you as each boil on their skin burst; could you not hear them, or the slap of their bodies thrown overboard into your womb? What song did you sing while burying their bones? Silently they longed for your calling. With the tightness of iron on their legs, they closed their eyes each night and waited, whispering, Save us -"

- Remnants

- For man is a man and master of fate

"I'm watching an art historian being interviewed. The news
anchor asks
the expert about Caravaggio, the painter and murderer. His
chapters
of violence, and troubled upbringing. The historian, like
witchcraft,
mouths and enchanting response: He was a man of his time.

A denial of Caravaggio's foul behavior. An erasure spell
passed on through generations; one that's excused the
crimes,
privilege and power of white people."

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Manorism is a complex, varied and constantly surprisingly book that mixes poetry with reportage and narrative prose. The cocktail of influences makes for a fascinating journey, although I have little knowledge of some. Caravaggio's work is a central reference point, something I am ignorant of, but it isn't necessary to be an art critic to enjoy Yomi Sode's accessible work. Many poems take their cues from current events and news stories, often focussing on systemic racism and prejudice. British popular culture, social media and music creates a range of tones, from the highly education nods to classical artwork to concerts, festivals and youth culture. In addition, Sode represents his own historical and linguistic heritage. Parts of the collection are very personal and tell stories about his family and their cultural origins. The lasting effect is one of richness and vitality but of also of struggle. Sode criticises the status quo and demands reassessment of our attitudes and values. He attacks the racist who says he's not racist, he mocks the coloniser who claims history doesn't matter and tries to erase blame and guilt. He is looking back and looking forward. Manorism is a wide-ranging, deeply intelligent collection.

The first part, Aneephya, contains a poem of that name that, in a dry, newspeak tone sarcastically mocks the hereditary explanation of scientific racism. Aneephya, Sode says, is an inherited condition that causes Black people to suffer violence at the hands of authorities. It is a brilliant mockery of those who wash their hands of responsibility. "PC Joshua..." is one of many poems that continues that theme and uses cultural reference points (in this case TV show The Wire) to extend the image. "About Hands:Somebody's Child" takes the theme a step further and cries out for empathy. In the second section, A Haunting, the frustration gets more personal. "Manorism II" is laced with that anger at seemingly innocuous situations such as the abuse of Black England footballers after missing penalties in the European Cup Final. Sode tells us these incidents are important, reminds us they are part of a bigger picture of abuse and repression. "On Fatherhood" makes this more personal while "Remnants" is a concentrated attack and analysis of Britain's relationship to racism and the poet's defiance in the face of it.

I really enjoyed the third part, Araa Ri (The Body Sees), which is both the most personal as well as the clearest narrative. The section revolves around a younger cousin and the poet's sense of connection and responsibility towards them. Characters, introduced in the first poem, spring to life with Sode's uncomplicated lyrics. He tells of his aunt's sickness and the way his family copes with it. Almost like a diary, the poems tell the chronology of events and allow a very raw insiders view of a family's grief. In rolling, breathless prose, "We Gon Be Alright" is perhaps the crowning glory of this collection, direct and emotional and very evocative, whereas "Farewell" provides the departing words. The collection demonstrates Sode's varied talents and the collection as a whole sends a powerful message, a clear antidote in testing times.

[GP Hyde · Rating 5 out of 5]

If the measure of a work of art or literature is the level of insight the reader gains into the artist’s world, then ‘Manorism’ succeeds supremely well. It does this because of the inventive use of language and the ability to show us the world of the writer.
In this first collection by Yomi S. Ode, a British Nigerian poet and performer, we step into Yomi’s world – a diaspora of people and places, family and friends, which stretches from Nigeria to Brixton and Dalston in London, UK. Yomi reveals this world sometimes through a style of writing which is close to a stream-of-consciousness. But rather than drifting off into a netherworld, he knows when to skilfully shift gear and to land us right back into the reality of young black men in England in the 21st Century.
This reality is often harsh and discriminatory. We learn about the corrosive prejudice of a young black man of being asked to pay for a meal at the moment of ordering it while at the same time, a couple in the same restaurant are excused this indignity. But rather than railing angrily, Yomi asserts himself and his kinship to have the right to speak and live according to their cultures and traditions.
Often the collection focuses on specific people in the family. There is a love letter to his son, the sad end of Big Mummy and the rituals for the embalming of Okonkwo. This book is rooted in the time of its writing. We come across celebrities both popular (Stormzy, Tinie Tempah), the redeemed (Ant McPartlin) and the unpopular (David Starkey, Laurence Fox). There are politicians, Diane Abbott and Dominic Raab (who, he?).
The focus of the speaker encompasses not only major issues but zooms in on the small events of the everyday. So we see the speaker at work cooking a meal, preparing okra and mackerel. But then the focus shifts and we are seeing Caravaggio and his dispute with a waiter in another time over a plate of artichokes. Caravaggio appears throughout the text as a symbol of the outsider who had to fight his corner to survive and to succeed as an artist.
These experiences and perceptions are portrayed through a wide range of linguistic devices – poems, vignettes, prose, idiomatic use of English (e.g., often dropping the th from the so the definite article is reduced to e). There are phrases and sentences which are presented in a language of Nigeria. Because of the ambition and originality of this collection, I would suggest readers read it at least three or four times so as to tune into this remarkable portrayal. This first collection is impressive while being direct and speaking to a strongly lived experience.
My thanks to NetGalley for making an advance copy available to me so that I might provide an honest and unbiased review.

[Jo The Black Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Your hardest lesson will be your last, fam.”

Poetry is definitely not something that features heavily in terms of my reviews.  In fact, I think I have only ever featured poetry twice on my grid.  The first being a collection of poetry by Ben Okri, “A Fire in my Head”, and the second - if it counts - “Clap When You Land”, a novel in verse by Elizabeth Acevedo - which I hand on heart loved by the way.

I’d seen “Manorism” floating around Bookstagram  prior to it's hotly anticipated release of.  With many citing it as “impassioned”, “deep”, “brilliant”, “moving” & “remarkable”. So of course, I was intrigued, and of course I purchased it.

“Manorism” walks us through the life of black men, an vivid exploration of race, racism, the complexities of inter-racial relationships, Black masculinity, and Black fatherhood.  I loved the inclusion of our hood favourites, J Hus, Dushane of Summerhouse, & the inclusion of our young slain black men, i.e. Damilola Taylor.

Black men deserve to live, but they also deserve for their words to be heard.  I noted to my friend whilst I  was struggling to read this collection, “I think I need him (Yomi) to read it to me”.  That was until I reached Part 3: Araá Rí (The body sees).  I heard that message, loud & clear, no sound was needed to deliver that message home.  Yomi, tells a story of the imminent death of his aunty “Big Mummy”; the secrets held within the black community when death by illness takes centre stage; his neglect of his cousin; of an ego bruised by the reality of said neglect; a story of being "there", but not present; a story of the grief of a Black “masculine” male; a story of coming undone in the eye of death.  This section HIT for me!

For lovers of poetry, I think this collection  will speak volumes to you, and for those of you, much like myself who are not the keenest of poetry readers/lovers, maybe give it a try and let me know your thoughts. I think I will need to revisit it a few times to get it, but I enjoyed it all the same ❤️

[Tobi ﾄﾋﾞ · Rating 5 out of 5]

brand new poetry from Yọ̀mí Ṣódé, examining the lives of black british men and boys; contemporary masculinity deepened by family, misinterpreted by media, and complicated by the riches, and the costs, of belonging and inheritance. exploring the differences of impunity afforded to white and black peoples, and to white and black artists.

ṣódé asks what it means to find oneself between worlds- who is, and who isn’t, allowed ti be more than their origins? what do we owe each other? what do we owe ourselves.

anyone who’s followed or known me for a while is probably familiar with the fact that i don’t usually enjoy poetry. not because i don’t find it interesting or impressive, but just because i’m pretty oblivious to “deeper meanings” and metaphors most of the time, party because of the autism and partly because i don’t know how to pick them out and properly think about them.

but i found this book genuinely amazing. undoubtedly i’ll be reading more by yọ̀mí ṣódé in the future, his work is absolutely incredible, i could not look away, i read this in pretty much one go. some parts i’ve already reread.

i could not recommend this more, i recommend this to even people like me who usually don’t read poetry.

ṣódé is definitely someone special and i have a feeling he will be around and spoken about for a very very long time.

now i’m quite pleased with myself for buying a signed edition.

[andra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible poetry on black manhood.
I’ve never read something like this before but I think it is an essential read. It speaks a lot about the troubles and the experience of a black person in the UK. An angry voice on colonialism but it is so much needed.
I loved its metaphors and its images intertwined with Caravaggio.

I recommend this book for its rawness, for its rightful anger. It is such a good poetry book but I wouldn't recommend starting with this book if you’ve never read poetry before or if you’ve only read “Milk and Honey”. It is more deep and meaningful and touches more important subjects and I think you need to have a bit of experience with poetry to understand some of its experiences.

What I did not like was how I Jumped on the net galley app and on google because I had to translate some words. It just made my reading inconsistent and sometimes it would break my attention span. Otherwise, a very good book.

[Ehi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was essential reading. I know what it is to be a black woman, but even as a sister to brothers, I never truly appreciated the difference in what black men carry. Yomi made this clear to me. It felt like each piece was a response to something. And that is the point- that there is so much to respond to; there are so many ways in which the world attacks. Things that have to be processed, lest there is a breaking. It felt personal and intimate, like a journal. I loved the variation in the forms, and the way the sections were organised. I loved the touches of Yomi’s Nigerian heritage, especially in his mother’s prayer. The contrast with Caravaggio was powerful- to think of the chances that whites people are given, even when they do wrong, the constant meting out of the benefit of the doubt. It’s vulnerability is a challenge, an encouragement, a reimagining, of what it means to be a “strong black man”.

[Rebecc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yomi Sode's Manorism is astonishing in it's power & in some places I found it very hard to read as it just felt so personal & raw to the poet that I felt I was intruding on private thoughts. Naturally the quality of the writing drew me back again & again; the division into sections works beautifully as some of the writing could be said to deal with the public aspects of race as opposed to the private last days of a close family member & the quite different struggles of culture & familial expectations & secrets. Sode writes so eloquently about the struggles of young black men that is an education in itself & had me thinking differently about so many aspects of modern life. Yomi Sode shows such talent that I wonder what on earth his next piece of writing could be; poetry, a novel, non-fiction- all of it & why not!!!

[Olivia-Savannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all time favourite poetry collections just like that.

There isn't a single bad poem in this. They are all stellar. And they are all soaked in so much feeling, phew 😮‍💨

There's a section of this collection with interlinked poems talking about grief, growing up too young and Black culture around illness. That hit really hard. It hurt. And it was bursting with truth and emotion.

Lots of these poems also refer to real life cases and situations. Some of which I knew, and some which I researched to gain the additional context. They did justice to those situations.

Amongst all of this, it never failed to be poetic. To have rhythm, to use the space on the page, to play with words and give them new meaning and new light. This is both thematically and linguistically a masterpiece.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time I come back to this collection I get immersed in it. It's moving, conpelling and 'pleasurable' in the sense that all good poetry is - it expresses something ineffable with beauty, poignancy, humour, and style.

We're lucky to live in such a time of emerging/newly emerged poets, and Yomi Sode is up there with the best of them. A wonderful collection and I hope he's working on his next.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some very disturbing and powerful work here, especially on race, culture and violence towards black people. The poems turn from an observational, plainly descriptive register to a more poetic perspective effortlessly. The play with language and use of neologisms is a dominant effect. I wasn't convinced by the merits of several of the prose pieces.

[Seyi O · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed Manorism very much and although I've read it once, I'll continue to pick it up and read again as the mood takes me. I feel like there's a poem for every mood. I really liked the way Yomi celebrates his Yoruba culture and I felt like he captured British and Nigerian experience in a very interesting way. I also know what it's like to be caught between two worlds.

[✰matthew✰ · Rating 3 out of 5]

this collection covers a really wide range of topics including black masculinity, friendship, coming of age, family, class, music and the news.

the prose poetry was not quite as strong as the rest of the poetry, it didn’t seem to have the same flow for me.

overall though a really powerful collection.

[elin · Rating 4 out of 5]

this collection is really brilliant, and i think so especially having seen sode perform parts of it aloud. the poetry really conveys meaningful and personal experiences and explores themes of racism and black history really well. though some of the prose poetry didn’t capture me as much as the rest of the poetry did, i think this is a really wonderful poetry collection that deserves its praise.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful read. I started reading this book but then became distracted by life. This book is an important book and one that deserves full attention. I waited until I had a free couple of days to start this book again. I read it in one sitting. This book is such a worthwhile read and it has left me with so much to think on.

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book offers a mix of polemic and slice-of-life realism. The slices of life are quite interesting. He's at his best when he's telling real stories from his life.
As for the polemic, it's a bit ponderous, a bit up itself, very early-2020s in its dogmatic approach to the role of history and its influence on the present.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Manorism is a brilliant poetry collection. Yomi Sode has so much talent, and his love for family shines throughout this collection. Sode's poems discussing what it means to be a black British man feel even more poignant with the current increase of far-right extremism in the UK. I would highly recommend this collection.