Patrick Chamoiseau: Return of the Creole
I had expected somebody aggressive, abrasive, doctrinaire. I was prepared to be lectured, to be put in my place. If the truth be told, I...
The Oxford Book of Caribbean Verse: landscape of love
As a long-time resident of Oxford (UK, that is—there are hundreds of others all over the world) and an alumnus of the old university,...
Uncomfortable truth
When researching an obituary of Joseph Zobel, I was intrigued to read that his classic novel LA Rue Cases Negres was banned in Martinique...
Meeting the Master: Wilfredo Lam
It was a long flight, and there was plenty of time to think about the art of the Caribbean and its place on the international stage. For me...
Aimé Césaire: Reaching For Freedom
Aimé Césaire, the mayor of Fort-de-France in Martinique, is 81 years old. And he still shows up for work every day. His office, on the...
The Birth of Negritude
When does a piece of writing become a classic? Perhaps never more definitively so than when it appears on Oxford University’s syllabus....
