This book is a theoretical and analytical survey of the poetry that emerged in Nigeria in the 1980s. 'Hurt into poetry, ' Nigerian poets collectively raise the aesthetics of resistance, dramatizing the nationalist imagination that bridges the gap between poetry and politics in the country. The emerging generation of poetic voices raises an outcry against the repressive military regimes of the 1980s and 1990s. Ingrained in the tradition of protest literature in Africa, third-generation poetry is presented here as part of the cultural struggles that unseat military despotism and envisage a democratic society. Not only does the book place emphasis on poetry's interaction with the culture and history of military oppression in Nigeria - an interaction that sees poetry not only feeding from history, but also feeding it - it also contextualizes the generational consciousness of these poets. It is an invaluable contribution to indigenous knowledge, critical studies in Africa, and the rehabilitation and production of an African aesthetic. (Series: African Humanities