Caribbean Literature

The evolution of Caribbean Literature started centuries onwards the Europeans graced these shores and continues to develop today. Quite noticeably, it developed in a manner which transcended all language barriers and cultures. like a shot the languages of the Caribbean be rooted in that of the colonial powers France, Britain, Spain and Holland whose diachronic encounters ar quite evident through issue the region.The cosmopolitan temperament of the regions language and cultural diversity develop from the mixture of European languages with Native American languages (mainly the Caribs and Arawaks) in the governance of creoles and local patois (hybrid languages) and those of Africans brought to the Caribbean as slaves, not withstanding the contributions of Asians mainly from India and China, and Middle Easterners. The fabric of Caribbean Literature is woven with the historical issues of enslavement and forced migration, the related themes of home and exile, and colonialism and d ecolonization.The social and cultural themes of tradition, landscape, culture and community are alike encompassed by Caribbean Literature. It also addresses such universal questions as identity, sexuality, family life, pain, joy, and the uses of the imagination. It is virtually impossible to keep Caribbean Literature save within the confines of writings produced within the Caribbean Islands. Caribbean Literature also transcends the borders of Central and South America extending to the shores of Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and coastal areas of Colombia, Nicaragua, Belize and Honduras.Evidence of aspects of Caribbean Literature can also be seen in literary whole works produced in miscellaneous areas of the USA including Miami and saucy Orleans. Works of Caribbean Literature have also been produced by people of Caribbean ancestry who do it primarily in Europe and major urban centers of the United States. ORAL LITERATURE Oral writings can be considered as the earliest form of Caribbean Literature consisting mainly of rich mob- tale traditions, legends andmyths, songs and poetry. Today this legacy is resplendent in popular music such as the CALYPSO, the Cuban SON, and the Puerto Rican BOMBA in the traditions of storytelling originating out of West Africa and India and in supernatural tales from African religions, including SANTERIA, LUCUMI,VODUN (vodoo), and SHANGO. Proverbs, riddles, and sayings that reinterpret African, European, and East Indian traditions are also virtually prominent in Caribbean literature.Among these are Anancy (a cunning spider) stories animal dilema tales, which typically teach a moral lesson stories of liquidation life or evil women tall tales and rhetorical flourishes, such as boasting, toasts, and speeches. PRE AND POST INDEPENDENCE literary WORKS Autobiography and poetry were the most prevalent literary works from the 16th century to the mid(prenominal) 19th century. In these works were introduced themes that became common in Caribbean literature exile, migration, displacement and questions of identity.The write up of Mary Prince, a West Indian Slave, (Related by Herself), is the most prominent of these writings in English. Early Caribbean writings in Spanish proverb that of the autobiography of the slave Juan Francisco Manzano of Cuba in the 1820s and 1830s, Jose Maria Herida Placido ( a slave who was executed in1844 for his federal agency in a slave uprising) and the Cuban anthropologist Miguel Barnet. Max Urena of the Dominican Republic produced nationalist works in the 19th century. The French speaking Caribbean power saw works by Emeric Bergeaud and Desmevar Delorme.Distinct national literary traditions began in the 20thcentury because some Caribbean countries gained their independence before this period. Twentieth century Caribbean literature can be divided into three periods the primary thirty years during colonial rule the years just prior to independence between the 1940s and 1960s or later, and the period after independence. During the fledgling years (1930s) a movement celebrating African culture and values pink wine to prominence. The movement originated in France and was called NEGRITUDE.However, its founders include Leon Gontran Damas of French Guiana and Aime Cesaire of Martinique. Rene Maran of Martinique won the Prix Goncourt (a French literary prize) with the novel Batouala (1921) which called for identification with sour culture. In the Spanish speaking Caribbean African themes were presented in a most exotic manner, highlighting African and black identity for artistic inspiration. Prominent writers in this movement include Luis Pales Matos from Puerto Rico and Emillo Ballagas from Cuba.The works of Cuban poet Nicolas Guillen from the 1930s share sentiments with the politics of NEGRITUDE and address issues surrounding the struggle against colonialism. Alejo Carpentier, also of Cuba, achieved recognition with his novels in which he explores the histo ry and sources of Caribbean culture. The English speaking Caribbean abounds with prominent writers including Jamaican novelist Tom Redcam (Thomas Macdermot), Claude Mckay, Jamaican born poet, and perhaps the best cognize writer of this generation internationally.Mckay later became unrivalled of the leading writers of Harlem Renaissance, a flowering black culture in New York in the 1920s and 1930s. Other writers who rose to prominence during this period are C. L. R. James of Trinidad, whose works aver against colonialism and help to define the anticolonial political and cultural struggles of his time. He was also instrumental in the formation of the literary magazines Trinidad (founded 1929) and the Beacon founded (1931) these publications were instrumental in the development of a Caribbean literary tradition.Alfred Mendes and Ralph de Boissiere (Trinidadians) both contributed articles and poetry to the magazines. PRE INDEPENDENCE spiritual rebirth This period saw the emergence of a generation of writers whose works sought after liberation and presented a distinctive portrait of Caribbean culture. The Jamaican Vic Reid, looks forward to a new day of independence with his novel New Day (1949) the displaced, downtrodden, urban population of the Caribbean is portrayed by Roger Mais also of Jamaica.He also experiments with jazz rhythms in his language, speckle Una Mason, a Jamaican poet uses blues rhythm in her poetry collections. A vivid portrait of Guyanas countryside and federation is presented by Edgar Mittleholzer in his novel A Morning At The Office (1950). On the other hand, one of the first and most important Caribbean works dealing with childhood and coming of age in a colonial context was produced by George Lamming, from Barbados, in the novel In The Castle Of My Skin (1953).This novel focuses on the struggles of three young boys with poverty, a colonial education, social change and the forging of an identity hovering in the scene is the promise of migration to the metropolitan centers. The mythology of Native Americans and Africans is emphasized in Wilson Harriss novel Palace of the Peacock (1960), while Martin Carters Poems of tube seek liberation from colonial rule. During this period a number of female writers were also very active. Beryl Gilroy of Guyana wrote novels, childrens stories, and an autobiography.Sylvia Wynter of Jamaica incorporates elements of folk culture into her work. From Dominica, Phyllis Shand Allfrey won recognition for her analysis of colonial power in her work, while jean Rhys stock critical acclaim for novels about women caught in situations they are unable to change. POST INDEPENDENCE This period saw the emergence of poets from the English speaking Caribbean Derek Walcott from Saint Lucia is perhaps the best-known Caribbean writer internationally. In 1992 he won the Nobel Prize for literature. In addition to poetry, Walcott is well known as a playwright.At the same time Eduard Kamau Brathwait e challenged the titular structures of European poetry by adopting the rhythms, references, and language of the African and Afro- Caribbean traditions. Brathwaite broadened the possible use of language in his works for a number of subsequent writers, including Jamaican oral poets Mutabaruka, Linton Quesi Johnson, and John Binta Breeze. Earl Lovelace and V. S. Naipaul count among other noted English language writers born in Trinidad and Tobago. Naipaul received recognition for novels that focus on East Indians living in the Caribbean.Lovelace whose works won a Commonwealth prize wrote on issues of poverty, education, and village life. The French speaking Caribbean saw prominent contemporary writers in Daniel Maxim of Guadeloupe and Edouard Glissant and Patrick Chamoiseau of Martinique. Chamoiseau explores issues of black identity, and creole cultural identity. The latter was produced along with Jean Bernabe and Rafael Confiant. Chamoiseau won the Pri Goncourt for his novel Texaco (1929). Noted female writers are Maryse Conde of Guadeloupe who is considered a significant voice among female writers, having won several French prizes for her literary work.Simone Schwarz -Bart, also of Guadeloupe, writes of the search for identity while Nancy Morejon of Cuba is recognized as a leading poetic voice. Her collection entitled Cuaderno de Granada 1984 (Grenada Notebook, 1984) honors those who participated in Grenadas socialist revolution in 1983. Caribbean writers have impact greatly on the international arena and have gained worldwide recognition for their numerous works. Literary critics are also recognizing the Caribbean roots of some African American writers who are explicit about their Caribbean parentage