Prospero Caliban Cricket and other Glorious Uncertainities

John Agard – Prospero Caliban Cricket 

and Other Glorious Uncertainties

John Agard’s book Prospero Caliban Cricket, is an exciting collection of his poems on cricket, with illustrations and cover design by me.

A prolific writer, much of Agard's work has a puckishly witty, imaginative, and an often biting take on racial stereotyping and attitudes. Adding to the mix is the challenge to the literary canon, imperialism, post colonialism, ancient mythology and folklore. His depth charge is extraordinary and always on target.

 What I probably love the most is his mixed identity adeptness, which is clear to see… to intersperse ‘proper’ English with Caribbean Creole creating a calypsonian sensibility.

I was introduced to his work quite accidentally through my fascination for Satoshi Kitamura’s illustrations in Agard’s book ‘The Young Inferno’ a few years ago. And when I read his ‘Listen Mr. Oxford Don’ more recently, I was sucked into this Agardian vortex that made me sign up to this book.

John Agard, a winner of multiple awards and prizes, including the Cholamandeley award and the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry in 2012, is a British Caribbean poet who moved to England from Georgetown, Guyana by 1977.

This book as mentioned above is a collection of all his poems and essays with the central theme being the game. Published by the sports publishing website CRICMash that I work with; I have illustrated the poems in the book. Every piece is accompanied by a commentary by Arunabha Sengupta.

Working with Agard is a total delight, matching his energy and flamboyance, and observing him unapologetically disrupt the establishment and it’s accepted norms at every turn.

My illustrations seek to pair with his poetry and bring a visual completion to his work. A sort of landing point to the subversiveness of his work.