Portia White
A Portrait in Words
by George Elliott Clarke
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Pub Date 28 Oct 2019 | Archive Date 1 Jan 2020
Nimbus Publishing | Nimbus Publishing Limited
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Description
I take
Liberties—poetic—and take
License to relate her story
In her voice, to tell History
Who she was—as I hear her say
Or sing.
[...]
But still you will come face-to-face
With a "Portia," whose life outshines
All brilliance this black ink divines....
In his unique brand of spoken word, Africadian poetry, the incomparable George Elliott Clarke explores a personal subject: his great-aunt Portia White. The result is a stirring, epic poem vibrating with energy and music that spans White's birth in 1911, a coming of age amidst the backdrop of two World Wars, and her life-long love affair with music—from singing in to directing the Cornwallis Street Baptist Church choir to her bel canto tutlege at the Halifax Conservatory of Music to her final, command performance before Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1964.
Portia White is a stunning testament to the first African Canadian to become an international star. Features vibrant illustrations by contemporary artist Lara Martina.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781771086974 |
| PRICE | CA$21.95 (CAD) |
| PAGES | 72 |
Featured Reviews
Graeme F, Reviewer
A solid biographical poem of the contralto Canadian singer, Portia White. Clarke uses his well researched and heavily edited verses to outline not only White's life and career, but the historical times she lived through, from WWI & II to issues of race and nationality in Canada and it's southern neighbor to White's singing for British royalty. The spoken word style of Clarke's verse works for his subject matter, but without reading the biographical sketch as a post-script at the end of the book, some of the verses can remain hard to decipher. However, the poem made me check out her music and I'm grateful for that.
