A Portable Paradise: Practising Empathy with Roger Robinson’s Poetry

Roger Robinson, the winner of the prestigious T.S. Eliot prize with his book of poetry A Portable Paradise (2019), was born in London to Trinidadian parents. He moved to Trinidad in childhood before returning to the United Kingdom at the age of nineteen. As a result, Robinson described himself as “a British resident with a Trini sensibility”. This dual identity, embracing both insider and outsider perspectives, allowed him to delve into the sense of disconnection within the Black British community through his nuanced and richly textured poetry. This essay will consider some poems from A Portable Paradise, focusing on one of their strongest features: the notion of ‘useful’ poetry, which helps people “practise empathy” and “effect change”. To address these issues, we will explore Robinson’s deconstruction of the traditional notion of paradise and his speculations on the significance of poetry and the role of the poet in the contemporary age.