Synopses & Reviews
Some of the freshest, most vital, and diverse new literature written in the twentieth century has emerged from the Caribbean. And central to Caribbean literature is the short story, with its ties with the oral tradition. Now,
The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories, edited by Stewart Brown and John Wickham, brings together fifty-two stories in a major anthology representing over a century's worth of pan-Caribbean short fiction. This breathtaking collection is unique--and indispensable--in its inclusion of authors from the English, French, Spanish, and Dutch-speaking Caribbean.
The distinctly Anglophone viewpoint of such prominent authors as, Jean Rhys, Sam Sevlon, V.S. Naipual, and E.A. Markham is richly contrasted by contributions from French, Spanish, and Dutch writers like Alejo Carpentier, René Depestre, and Thea Doelwijt, while the new generation--represented by such writers as Edwidge Danticat and Patrick Chamoiseau--points the way forward for Caribbean writing into the twenty-first century. With his stimulating introduction, Brown provides an up-to-date overview of Caribbean writing. Exploring the literature's themes of history, race, social justice, identity, and migration, he traces its evolution from the gritty naturalism of the Anglophone tradition to the magical realism of the French and Spanish traditions to a body of contemporary pan-Caribbean literature that cannot be contained in any convenient linguistic, geographical, or thematic definition.
Charting the shifting ideologies and styles of this century--from the flamboyant wit of Samuel Selvon to the deceptive simplicity of Jamaica Kincaid--The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories delivers a wealth of satisfactions in a single volume with unprecedented range.
Review
"Caribbean authors come from a multicultural tradition, and this wide-ranging anthology collects 52 stories representing more than a century's worth of 'pan-american' short fiction. Although the various authors explore similar themes of history, race, social justice, identity and migration, they do so in diverse ways."--The Orlando Sentinel
"Brown's introduction and suggestions for further reading will particularly help newcomers, but the stories themselves most strongly recommend this anthology....After finishing these fifty-two stories, the reader will undoubtedly hunger for more....This testifies to the virtues of the collection, and to the richness of Caribbean literature. The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories should be read not only by those interested in Caribbean fiction, but by anyone who appreciates excellent writing..."--World Literature Today
"The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories is a must-have. This hugely entertaining anthology invites 52 writers from all across the Caribbean onto one stage and cleverly brings together their diverse languages, island experiences and cultures. The wide range of styles found throughout the... book subtly melds into a unified that communicates the issues of history, race, migration and identity unique to this region. This wonderful collection of writing from the last 100 years not only introduces well-known writers,... but also brings to light the new generation....It is a body of work that's worth revisiting again and again, just like the Caribbean."--Caribbean Travel and Life
"The publication of The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short..., has filled a void on the shelves of Caribbean literature....These...selections may not be the usual, anthologized fare. Yet they all speak of the harsh beauty of life in the tropics these writers know and love so well."--Sky Writings-Air Jamaica "This has to be the definitive collection of Caribbean short stories. This is the one that shall be handed down from generation to generation."--Benjamin Zephaniah, Poet
"What we have here is a stunning collection of writers representing almost every region that is touched by the Caribbean Sea, and what we experience as we read this collection is the truth that we have always suspected but never ventured to say; that some of the best writing to have appeared in this century has come from this archipelago of complex histories and diverse traditions."--Kwame Dawes, University of South Carolina at Sumter
About the Author
Stewart Brown is a poet and critic who teaches African and Caribbean literature at the Centre of West African Studies, University of Birmingham.
John Wickham is literary editor of the
Nation newspaper (Barbados) and editor of
Bim, the Caribbean's longest-established literary journal. One of the most respected figures in Caribbean literature, he also served as a Senator in the Barbados parliament.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Frank Collymore: Some People are Meant to Live Alone
Jean Rhys: Pioneers, oh, Pioneers
Eric Walrond: Drought
Alfred Mendes: Pablo's Fandango
CLR James: Triumph
Alejo Carpentier: Journey to the Seed
Roger Mais: Red Dirt Don't Wash
Juan Bosh: Encarnacion Mendoza's Christmas Eve
Jan Carew: Tilson Ezekial alias Ti-Zek
G. Cabrere Infante: The Doors Open at Three
Sam Selvon: The Cricket Match
John Wickham: The Light on theSea
Ismith Khan: Shadows move in the Britannia Bar
Rene Depestre: Rosena on the Mountain
Roy Heath: The Master Tailor and the Teacher's Skirt
Gabriel Garcia Marquez: The Last Voyage of the Ghost Ship
Andrew Salkey: A Proper Anno Domini Feeling
Kamau Brathwaite: Dream Haiti
Antonio Benitez Rojo: Buried Statues
V. S. Naipaul: The Night Watchman's Occurance Book
Michael Anthony: They Better Don't Stop the Carnival
John Stewart: The Old Men Used to Dance
Paule Marshall: To Da-Duh, In Memoriam
Austin Clarke: Leaving this Island Place
Maryse Conde: The Breadnut and the Breadfruit
Earl Lovelace: Victory and the Blight
Velma Pollard: Altamont Jones
Thea Doelwijt: In Foreign Parts
Lawrence Scott: Ballad for the New World
E. A. Markham: Mamie's Form at the Post Office
RosarioSenior: Do Angels Wear Brassiers?
Miriam Warner-Vieyra: Passport to Paradise
Willi Chen: Trotters
Pauline Melville: The Conversion of Milicent Vernon
N. D. Williams: Beach
Merle Collins: The Walk
Reinaldo Arenas: Goodbye Mother
Ana Lydia Vega: Eye Openers
Jean Breeze: Sunday Cricket
Astrid Roemer: The Inheritance of My Father: a story for Listening
Jamaica Kincaid: Blackness
Patrick Chamoiseau: Red Hot Peppers
Lionel Seepaul: Pan for Pocket
Robert Antoni: A World of Canes
Makeda Silvera: Caribbean Chameleon
Zoila Ellis: The Waiting Room
Edgardo Sanabria Santaliz: After the Hurricane
Geofry Philp: My Brother's Keeper
Alicia McKenzie: Private School
Edwidge Danticat: 1937
Bibliography; Notes.