A “green” African poet: ecological sensibility and environmental concern in Douglas Livingstone’s works

Abstract

One of the greatest contemporary poets, Douglas Livingstone, was a South African by adoption. He used to define himself as a “white African”. In his poems he explored nature (and the South African landscape in particular) and its relationship with mankind, revealing a strong ecological sensibility and environmental concern. This dissertation argues that Livingstone’s main preoccupation is, as both a scientist and a poet, to heal the Earth and, as a result, he can be considered one of the first ecopoets of the twentieth century. Over the years, many authors have written critical commentaries and analyses of his works. In most cases the ecological issues have been ignored or only hinted at, because, until a few years ago, the ecocritical approach to literature was possibly largely absent. This dissertation states that ecocriticism offers the best critical tools to understand Livingstone’s message, aiming at revising some of his most significant poems and providing an ecocritical explanation of them. The first chapter offers a brief history of ecology and ecocriticism; then, a full chapter about Douglas Livingstone’s biography introduces the reader to the poet’s particular work, also discussing his historical background and the main aspects of his life and poetry. The third chapter examines his early collections (The Skull in the Mud, Sjambock and Other Poems from Africa, Eyes Closed Against the Sun and The Anvil’s Undertone); the fourth one is focused on Livingstone’s last volume, A Littoral Zone, in which the “green” elements increase considerably. This dissertation will ultimately prove that Livingstone's poetry is a significant warning against human anthropocentrism in favour of a symbiotic relationship with nature.