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Mental Fight
An epic poem touching on issues of racism, intolerance and environmental destructions from Booker Prize-winning author Ben Okri. There is much to celebrate in the human journey so far - art in all its forms, advances made in the fields of technology and medicine and, for many of us, the miracle of freedom. But there is also much to regret - racism, intolerance, the destruction of our environment, the reality and the legacy of slavery. In this long, sustained consideration of the state we find ourselves in, Ben Okri invokes the past to explain the present, and sings out a message of hope. The future is still ours to make. This epic poem, an anthem for the twenty-first century, first appeared in The Times in January 1999. Its message could hardly be more relevant to our present condition. Discover this revised edition of an inspiring and extraordinarily tender work.
96 pages, Hardcover
First published August 19, 1999
12 people are currently reading
271 people want to read
About the author
Ben Okri
86 books989 followersPoet and novelist Ben Okri was born in 1959 in Minna, northern Nigeria, to an Igbo mother and Urhobo father. He grew up in London before returning to Nigeria with his family in 1968. Much of his early fiction explores the political violence that he witnessed at first hand during the civil war in Nigeria. He left the country when a grant from the Nigerian government enabled him to read Comparative Literature at Essex University in England.
He was poetry editor for West Africa magazine between 1983 and 1986 and broadcast regularly for the BBC World Service between 1983 and 1985. He was appointed Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College Cambridge in 1991, a post he held until 1993. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1987, and was awarded honorary doctorates from the universities of Westminster (1997) and Essex (2002).
His first two novels, Flowers and Shadows (1980) and The Landscapes Within (1981), are both set in Nigeria and feature as central characters two young men struggling to make sense of the disintegration and chaos happening in both their family and country. The two collections of stories that followed, Incidents at the Shrine (1986) and Stars of the New Curfew (1988), are set in Lagos and London.
In 1991 Okri was awarded the Booker Prize for Fiction for his novel The Famished Road (1991). Set in a Nigerian village, this is the first in a trilogy of novels which tell the story of Azaro, a spirit child. Azaro's narrative is continued in Songs of Enchantment (1993) and Infinite Riches (1998). Other recent fiction includes Astonishing the Gods (1995) and Dangerous Love (1996), which was awarded the Premio Palmi (Italy) in 2000. His latest novels are In Arcadia (2002) and Starbook (2007).
A collection of poems, An African Elegy, was published in 1992, and an epic poem, Mental Flight, in 1999. A collection of essays, A Way of Being Free, was published in 1997. Ben Okri is also the author of a play, In Exilus.
In his latest book, Tales of Freedom (2009), Okri brings together poetry and story.
Ben Okri is a Vice-President of the English Centre of International PEN, a member of the board of the Royal National Theatre, and was awarded an OBE in 2001. He lives in London.
He was poetry editor for West Africa magazine between 1983 and 1986 and broadcast regularly for the BBC World Service between 1983 and 1985. He was appointed Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College Cambridge in 1991, a post he held until 1993. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1987, and was awarded honorary doctorates from the universities of Westminster (1997) and Essex (2002).
His first two novels, Flowers and Shadows (1980) and The Landscapes Within (1981), are both set in Nigeria and feature as central characters two young men struggling to make sense of the disintegration and chaos happening in both their family and country. The two collections of stories that followed, Incidents at the Shrine (1986) and Stars of the New Curfew (1988), are set in Lagos and London.
In 1991 Okri was awarded the Booker Prize for Fiction for his novel The Famished Road (1991). Set in a Nigerian village, this is the first in a trilogy of novels which tell the story of Azaro, a spirit child. Azaro's narrative is continued in Songs of Enchantment (1993) and Infinite Riches (1998). Other recent fiction includes Astonishing the Gods (1995) and Dangerous Love (1996), which was awarded the Premio Palmi (Italy) in 2000. His latest novels are In Arcadia (2002) and Starbook (2007).
A collection of poems, An African Elegy, was published in 1992, and an epic poem, Mental Flight, in 1999. A collection of essays, A Way of Being Free, was published in 1997. Ben Okri is also the author of a play, In Exilus.
In his latest book, Tales of Freedom (2009), Okri brings together poetry and story.
Ben Okri is a Vice-President of the English Centre of International PEN, a member of the board of the Royal National Theatre, and was awarded an OBE in 2001. He lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 23, 2021
What did I think?
“Everyone loves a spring cleaning.
Let’s have humanity cleaning.”
“Hungry nations are hungry still.
The starving people dream of food.
The unfree fight for their freedom.
The oppressed plan for real liberation.
The small struggle for might.
The invisible strive for higher visibility.”
This is my first of Ben Okri’s work and it certainly won’t be my last! This book is yet another small but powerful one.
Thank you so much to Head of Zeus for my gifted copy! All opinions are my own.
“Everyone loves a spring cleaning.
Let’s have humanity cleaning.”
“Hungry nations are hungry still.
The starving people dream of food.
The unfree fight for their freedom.
The oppressed plan for real liberation.
The small struggle for might.
The invisible strive for higher visibility.”
This is my first of Ben Okri’s work and it certainly won’t be my last! This book is yet another small but powerful one.
Thank you so much to Head of Zeus for my gifted copy! All opinions are my own.
April 28, 2022
I LOVE IT
June 2, 2024
The poems in this book were very much a call towards action for positive change in the world. Overall, very uplifting/optimistic which is why I couldn't take some parts seriously with all the morbidness in the world right now. Maybe one day I'll reread this and feel differently.
April 15, 2023
Okri’s epic poem is a Blakean prophetic book for the modern age. It ends in a call to dream of many gods, and embrace illuminations and the prophetic creativity of Blake’s writing in all our lives.
July 5, 2025
Well, I just fell in love with this. What an inspiring text! The drive, the push forward! The world needs this piece right now, more than 25 years ago. We can be better! We can be the chosen ones who choose to dream and make the world better.
Read this.
"We carry with us, across the silver river / Of the new age, many ambiguous / And deadly seeds, / And many seeds of illumination too. / We are the sum total of the history / That we have not truly examined. / We are the carriers of history's / Future diseases or cures."
pp. 33
"Those who transcend their apparent limitations / Are greater than those who apparently / Have little to transcend."
pp. 55
Read this.
"We carry with us, across the silver river / Of the new age, many ambiguous / And deadly seeds, / And many seeds of illumination too. / We are the sum total of the history / That we have not truly examined. / We are the carriers of history's / Future diseases or cures."
pp. 33
"Those who transcend their apparent limitations / Are greater than those who apparently / Have little to transcend."
pp. 55
November 15, 2024
This ‘epic poem’ is all in free verse and free form. I was looking forward to reading it, but honestly it read more as preaching than poetry. There is very little to tell one poem apart from another, not much variety or much to remember. I felt like Okri was writing with an agenda from the outset and refused to budge as the work demanded, so has resulted in verse that feel forced. Nevertheless, I will seek out more of Okri’s work. Perhaps try some of his fiction.
January 4, 2022
This is a gem.
As the subtitle says, it is an anti-spell for the 21st century. The first part was the millennium lecture at the Edingburgh book festival, what might be an even better timeframe (millenium).
This poem is a reflection on the state of humanity. Just like we might make an honest reflection on our own life, an evaluation, this poem makes an honest evaluation of the past millenia. There is a lot of reasons to feel bad about that evaluation: world hunger, wars. The beauty of this book is that it tries to face this, and use the shock an horror as a force to wake up a new consciousness, a mindset of honesty, creativity, hope. It is not an exact map of practical steps, but more a state of mind, a feeling we will need to make a leap forward.
I think Okri does a great job in evoking all the feelings, ranging from the confrontation to the deeply felt transformation and hope towards something better.
As the subtitle says, it is an anti-spell for the 21st century. The first part was the millennium lecture at the Edingburgh book festival, what might be an even better timeframe (millenium).
This poem is a reflection on the state of humanity. Just like we might make an honest reflection on our own life, an evaluation, this poem makes an honest evaluation of the past millenia. There is a lot of reasons to feel bad about that evaluation: world hunger, wars. The beauty of this book is that it tries to face this, and use the shock an horror as a force to wake up a new consciousness, a mindset of honesty, creativity, hope. It is not an exact map of practical steps, but more a state of mind, a feeling we will need to make a leap forward.
I think Okri does a great job in evoking all the feelings, ranging from the confrontation to the deeply felt transformation and hope towards something better.
April 20, 2023
At first I wasn't into it and I thought maybe Ben Okri's poetry just wasn't for me and I should just stick to his novels. After taking a bit of a break and coming back to it all of a sudden I got it and was really into it. I think I just need to be in the right mood for his poetry. Very excited to continue with his work
June 9, 2021
Reading in Progress - There is so much richness here. If I owned a copy of this book, every page would be bookmarked, every line highlighted, and every poem copied into a notebook waiting on my desk.
Completed. Will now be searching out Okri's other writings. Hoping for a mix of text and audio here as I believe that hearing his poetry would integrate in a different way.
Completed. Will now be searching out Okri's other writings. Hoping for a mix of text and audio here as I believe that hearing his poetry would integrate in a different way.
January 24, 2025
“Only those with substance,
Whose souls are earthed,
Whose eyes are clear,
Withstand it all.”
ONE II III
TWO I II
FOUR II
FIVE I III
SEVEN I
EIGHT IV
Particularly enjoyed the use of repeating words throughout: “moment”, “illusion”.
Whose souls are earthed,
Whose eyes are clear,
Withstand it all.”
ONE II III
TWO I II
FOUR II
FIVE I III
SEVEN I
EIGHT IV
Particularly enjoyed the use of repeating words throughout: “moment”, “illusion”.
July 11, 2017
Such a wonderful observation of society/ of world/ of humans/ of humanity/ and of us.
April 21, 2019
Truths to be revisited and mused on.
Now is all that exists, and is all that matters. We need to awake to our present.
Now is all that exists, and is all that matters. We need to awake to our present.
December 31, 2019
Inspirational, beautiful, profound. A new year's must-read every year. An absolute delight.
September 7, 2021
4.5 stars. An inspiring reflective poetry book that talks about humanity and human beings.
November 12, 2025
A poem of peace
July 3, 2022
De woorden komen binnen en zijn een enorme steun voor mensen die willen mee een shift creeeren in deze wereld.
Het deed me meteen weer beseffen waarom ik meteen enthousiast werd toen ik voor het eerst iets van Ben Okri las en zag, en ik wil veel meer boeken van hem lezen.
Het is een beetje profetisch, heel inzichtelijk maakt het duidelijk dat we op een keerpunt staan in onze tijd en dat het aan ons allemaal is om een verandering te bewerkstelligen.
Mijn wens is dat iedereen dit boek gaat lezen en voluit gaan om te leven vanuit een ander bewustzijn.
Ik wil het nog enkele keren herlezen.
Het deed me meteen weer beseffen waarom ik meteen enthousiast werd toen ik voor het eerst iets van Ben Okri las en zag, en ik wil veel meer boeken van hem lezen.
Het is een beetje profetisch, heel inzichtelijk maakt het duidelijk dat we op een keerpunt staan in onze tijd en dat het aan ons allemaal is om een verandering te bewerkstelligen.
Mijn wens is dat iedereen dit boek gaat lezen en voluit gaan om te leven vanuit een ander bewustzijn.
Ik wil het nog enkele keren herlezen.
June 7, 2024
Had to abandon. I know Okri's a talented writer, but the themes in this poem are things I need to take a break from. Not pure Trauma Porn like Wahsuta's White Magic essays, but similarly exhausting to try to process right now. At some point I will very likely revisit this.
March 29, 2009
A bold and fearless call to arms to readdress humanity's collected histories. Accept and share and move forward together in understanding.
September 17, 2013
Awesome in biblical proportions
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews