Resource List
Cultures of the Caribbean:
Barbados and St. Lucia
Led by Jonathan and Barbara Hill
January 6-15, 2006
Some travelers like to read about a place before they go, some while they are there, others after they have returned. The following list can be used in any of these ways. The emphasis is on the literature of the region.
Any good guidebook will provide current information about the two islands we shall visit, and pictures before you have had a chance to take your own.
- Caribbean: Sea of the New World
- Understanding the Contemporary Caribbean
A readable historical narrative of the region is Caribbean: Sea of the New World by the Colombian historian, diplomat and intellectual, German Arciniegas. A more contemporary and academic work is the collection of essays Understanding the Contemporary Caribbean, edited by Richard S. Hillman and Thomas J. D'Agostino.
- The Arkansas Testament
- Miguel Street
The contribution from the English-speaking Caribbean to contemporary literature in English is remarkable, out of all proportion to its size. We can start with its two Nobel Prize winners. Saint Lucia's Derek Walcott is a world-class poet, a fine dramatist, and an accomplished painter. Of his many works, I recommend his 1987 volume of poems, The Arkansas Testament. Trinidad's V. S. Naipaul is a novelist, travel writer and essayist. One of his most luminous works, before his vision became increasingly dark, is his 1959 work Miguel Street, a bittersweet portrait of street life in Port of Spain.
- The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories
- The Penguin Book of Caribbean Short Stories
The best way to get a literary overview of the West Indies is through anthologies. The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories, edited by Stewart Brown and John Wickham, and The Penguin Book of Caribbean Short Stories, edited by E. A. Markham, contain rich selections, about forty writers each, from the earliest to the most recent examples. The Oxford selection offers stories from the whole of the Caribbean, including translations from Spanish, French, and Dutch originals; the Penguin confines itself to works in English.
- The Heinemann Book of Caribbean Poetry
The Heinemann Book of Caribbean Poetry, selected by Ian McDonald and Stewart Brown, presents a splendid choice of some sixty poets, from poems that are simple and accessible to those that are not. This volume, combined with one or other of the short story anthologies, can provide a bird's-eye view of Caribbean writing -- its concerns, its stories and its perceptions. Through these means we are put in touch with the inner life of the people.
- The Wine of Astonishment
- Discerner of Hearts and Other Stories
- Annie John
Any of the writers in the anthologies is worth reading further. I will mention just three of them: from Trinidad, Earl Lovelace and his novel The Wine of Astonishment; from Jamaica, Olive Senior and her collection Discerner of Hearts and Other Stories; and from Antigua, Jamaica Kincaid and her novel Annie John.
