New York Times Introduces Nigerian-Born, British Poet Inua Ellams

Elizabeth A. Harris introduces New York Times readers to Nigerian-born, British poet Inua Ellams, in advance of his forthcoming collection, The Half-God of Rainfall (Harper Collins), which debuts in the United States this week. "'Half God' is unusual not only in its subject matter but also in its form," Harris writes. More: 

It’s written in rhymed triplets, a version of a form employed by the poets Chaucer and Dante called a terza rima. But the book doesn’t read like something based on a strict formula; it reads like a play.

The book also likes to have a little fun. In a section that lists half gods who have taken their talents to the N.B.A., Ellams writes that Michael Jordan “did / what no one had dared — flew — on the court. With no song, / charm or spell to cloak his flight! Live television!” Another example: “Rainbow Snake Goddess? Dennis Rodman’s aunt.”

Read on at the New York Times.