Red Earth / Laterite Author:Veronique Tadjo This dual-language collection of poems by a leading African writer is illustrated with her evocative paintings. First published in 1984 by Hatier, Latérite [Red Earth],Veronique Tadjo's first book of poems, won the Prix Litteraire de L'Agence de Cooperation Culturelle et Technique. The title comes from the red mineral composition of many West Af... more »rican roads and is suggestive of change, the uncertain future, and the continuing displacement of peoples and cultures. She refers to it as a "collection of poems," but it reads like a long recitative, the pieces recapitulating each other in a language often striking in its color and elemental boldness. Red Earth is an important book from one of the Third World's strongest and clearest voices.« less