No Gods Live Here

One of the few book-length poetry collections from São Tomé to appear in English, Lima's poetry is grounded in place and history of the region. A career-spanning collection from São Tomean master Conceição Lima, No Gods Live Here summons the intricacies of her personal history of the landscape with the complicated lineage of the region. Lima houses the cruelties of the country's past alongside childhood memories, flora, and fauna. Through vivid imagery, Lima's deep evocations of São Tomé extend from popular Santomean music to imagery of fishermen on the beach, while ever-aware of the subjective meeting of memory, time, and place. Through poetry, Lima brings past and present together to resurrect hope in human creation and the possibility of metamorphosis.