Poems by Dennis Brutus
Somehow We Survive by Dennis Brutus
May 31, 2026
“But somehow we survive / severance, deprivation, loss.” — Dennis Brutus
Dennis Brutus
Dennis Brutus
Born: 'November 28, 1924' • Died: 26 December 2009
Born in Zimbabwe, poet and human rights activist Dennis Brutus grew up in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and was educated at Fort Hare University College. His poetry collections include Salutes and Censures (1985), Stubborn Hope (1978), and Letter to Martha and Other Poems from a South African Prison (1969). Poetry and Protest: A Dennis Brutus Reader (2006) was edited by Aisha Karim and Lee Sustar, and The Dennis Brutus Tapes: Essays at Autobiography (2011) was edited by Bernth Lindfors. (Source)