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Brighter Sun
In Trinidad during World War II, Tiger, sixteen, and Urmilla, his young wife through an arranged marriage try to enter the world of adult responsibilities
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1953
59 people are currently reading
1163 people want to read
About the author
Sam Selvon
27 books154 followersSamuel Dickson Selvon was born in San Fernando in the south of Trinidad. His parents were East Indian: his father was a first-generation Christian immigrant from Madras and his mother's father was Scottish.He was educated at Naparima College, San Fernando, before leaving at the age of fifteen to work. He was a wireless operator with the Royal Naval Reserve from 1940 to 1945. Thereafter, he moved north to Port of Spain, and from 1945 to 1950, worked for the Trinidad Guardian as a reporter and for a time on its literary page. In this period, he began writing stories and descriptive pieces, mostly under a variety of pseudonyms such as Michael Wentworth, Esses, Ack-Ack, and Big Buffer. Selvon moved to London in the 1950s, and then in the late 1970s to Alberta, Canada, where he lived until his death from a heart attack on 16 April 1994 on a return trip to Trinidad.
Selvon is known for novels such as The Lonely Londoners (1956) and Moses Ascending (1975). His novel A Brighter Sun (1952), detailing the construction of the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway in Trinidad through the eyes of young Indian worker Tiger, was a popular choice on the CXC English Literature syllabus for many years. Other notable works include Ways of Sunlight (1957), Turn Again Tiger (1958) and Those Who Eat the Cascadura (1972). During the 1970s and early 1980s, Selvon converted several of his novels and stories into radio scripts, broadcast by the BBC, which were collected in Eldorado West One (Peepal Tree Press, 1988) and Highway in the Sun (Peepal Tree Press, 1991).
After moving to Canada, Selvon found a job teaching creative writing as a visiting professor at the University of Victoria. When that job ended, he took a job as a janitor at the University of Calgary in Alberta for a few months, before becoming writer-in-residence there. He was largely ignored by the Canadian literary establishment, with his works receiving no reviews during his residency.
The Lonely Londoners, as with most of his later work, focuses on the immigration of West Indians to Britain in the 1950s and tells, mostly in anecdotal form, the daily experience of settlers from the Caribbean. Selvon also illustrates the panoply of different "cities" that are lived in London, as with any major city, due to class and racial boundaries. In many ways, his books are the precursors to works such as Some Kind of Black by Diran Adebayo, White Teeth by Zadie Smith and The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi. Selvon explained: "When I wrote the novel that became The Lonely Londoners, I tried to recapture a certain quality in West Indian everyday life. I had in store a number of wonderful anecdotes and could put them into focus, but I had difficulty starting the novel in straight English. The people I wanted to describe were entertaining people indeed, but I could not really move. At that stage, I had written the narrative in English and most of the dialogues in dialect. Then I started both narrative and dialogue in dialect and the novel just shot along."
Selvon's papers are now at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas, Austin, USA. These consist of holograph manuscripts, typescripts, book proofs, manuscript notebooks, and correspondence. Drafts for six of his eleven novels are present, along with supporting correspondence and items relating to his career.
Selvon is known for novels such as The Lonely Londoners (1956) and Moses Ascending (1975). His novel A Brighter Sun (1952), detailing the construction of the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway in Trinidad through the eyes of young Indian worker Tiger, was a popular choice on the CXC English Literature syllabus for many years. Other notable works include Ways of Sunlight (1957), Turn Again Tiger (1958) and Those Who Eat the Cascadura (1972). During the 1970s and early 1980s, Selvon converted several of his novels and stories into radio scripts, broadcast by the BBC, which were collected in Eldorado West One (Peepal Tree Press, 1988) and Highway in the Sun (Peepal Tree Press, 1991).
After moving to Canada, Selvon found a job teaching creative writing as a visiting professor at the University of Victoria. When that job ended, he took a job as a janitor at the University of Calgary in Alberta for a few months, before becoming writer-in-residence there. He was largely ignored by the Canadian literary establishment, with his works receiving no reviews during his residency.
The Lonely Londoners, as with most of his later work, focuses on the immigration of West Indians to Britain in the 1950s and tells, mostly in anecdotal form, the daily experience of settlers from the Caribbean. Selvon also illustrates the panoply of different "cities" that are lived in London, as with any major city, due to class and racial boundaries. In many ways, his books are the precursors to works such as Some Kind of Black by Diran Adebayo, White Teeth by Zadie Smith and The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi. Selvon explained: "When I wrote the novel that became The Lonely Londoners, I tried to recapture a certain quality in West Indian everyday life. I had in store a number of wonderful anecdotes and could put them into focus, but I had difficulty starting the novel in straight English. The people I wanted to describe were entertaining people indeed, but I could not really move. At that stage, I had written the narrative in English and most of the dialogues in dialect. Then I started both narrative and dialogue in dialect and the novel just shot along."
Selvon's papers are now at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas, Austin, USA. These consist of holograph manuscripts, typescripts, book proofs, manuscript notebooks, and correspondence. Drafts for six of his eleven novels are present, along with supporting correspondence and items relating to his career.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
June 10, 2019
I read A Brighter Sun years ago, I think this re-read is exactly what I needed. There is something magical about reading about a place you currently reside at and I think that is what I loved most about this book.
Sam Selvon's A Brighter Sun follows the main character Tiger Baboolal, an Indian man from the rural part of Trinidad. Tiger gets married and through his marriage he is given a plot of land with $200TTD to start his life with his wife. Tiger and his wife moves to San Juan an up and coming community 4 miles away from the capital Port of Spain. In San Juan Tiger tries to fit in, learn what it means to be a man and more importantly tries to navigate the changing world around him.
Sam Selvon thrust us into a period of history where Trinidad and Tobago is still trying to figure out herself. She is caught between pre- Independence, the influx of Americans to her shore and the ranging war in Europe. Historically, a lot is happening and Selvon uses that to tell a story and show us how these things impacts our main character.
If you are looking for an in-depth look into live in Trinidad and Tobago during the 1930s, this is definitely a book you want to pick up. If you are looking for a memorable character- trust me, you wont forget Tiger. A must read Trini book for me.
I read this for the #ReadCaribbean challenge.
Sam Selvon's A Brighter Sun follows the main character Tiger Baboolal, an Indian man from the rural part of Trinidad. Tiger gets married and through his marriage he is given a plot of land with $200TTD to start his life with his wife. Tiger and his wife moves to San Juan an up and coming community 4 miles away from the capital Port of Spain. In San Juan Tiger tries to fit in, learn what it means to be a man and more importantly tries to navigate the changing world around him.
Sam Selvon thrust us into a period of history where Trinidad and Tobago is still trying to figure out herself. She is caught between pre- Independence, the influx of Americans to her shore and the ranging war in Europe. Historically, a lot is happening and Selvon uses that to tell a story and show us how these things impacts our main character.
If you are looking for an in-depth look into live in Trinidad and Tobago during the 1930s, this is definitely a book you want to pick up. If you are looking for a memorable character- trust me, you wont forget Tiger. A must read Trini book for me.
I read this for the #ReadCaribbean challenge.
January 24, 2009
This book gives a very informative and accurate account of the state and life in 1930s Trinidad caught between its colony past and a present monopolized by American military existance and the island's involvement in the second world war.
Tiger is the main character of the story. He is a southern Trinidadian boy of Indian ancestry who gets married off at 16. The story is of his struggles as a "man" and trying to make a living as well as understand life and what it means to him as he understands himself.
From this book you learn of the many predujices in the beautiful island, be it race or class. The struggle of the poor is maginified by their color. Tiger is an ambitious boy and you feel for him while reading, until he becomes one of the men, beating his pregnant wife and getting drunk nights on end.
Selvon is very accurate with the Trini english, and writes beautifully. I ick him over Naipaul any day.
Tiger is the main character of the story. He is a southern Trinidadian boy of Indian ancestry who gets married off at 16. The story is of his struggles as a "man" and trying to make a living as well as understand life and what it means to him as he understands himself.
From this book you learn of the many predujices in the beautiful island, be it race or class. The struggle of the poor is maginified by their color. Tiger is an ambitious boy and you feel for him while reading, until he becomes one of the men, beating his pregnant wife and getting drunk nights on end.
Selvon is very accurate with the Trini english, and writes beautifully. I ick him over Naipaul any day.
April 10, 2015
"What is to is must is."
July 15, 2022
A good book. Lovely exposition of Trinidad and the culture, and brilliant dialogue with dialects and creole nicely captured. It falls a bit short when it cones to fully fletching out Tiger, the protagonist, in terms of his emotional progress… but otherwise a good read.
October 12, 2018
Set in Trinidad and Tobago during the Second World War, this novel aims both at painting a general picture of the economic, social and political facts of life of the time and period while also telling a smaller more intimate story about a handful of its residents in a forgotten village not far from Port of Spain. The jump from general to particular is ongoing and is not always handled smoothly. The narrative that follows Tiger and Urmilla -a young Indian couple- and Rita and Joe- their creole neighbours- is stopped in its tracks often to make room for statements about policy, building projects and rationing. I found the clear difference in tone, intent and narrative voice in these transitions a bit jarring.
The part that focuses on the more insular narrative, however, I found very compelling. Selvon expertly inmerses the reader into the world of these characters through the use of dialect and colorful description that bring to life a Caribbean full of sound, smell, rum, hard work and careless violence. In this sense the novel is reminiscent of García Márquez' stories of the Colombian Caribbean.
I particularly liked the way in which Selvon repeatedly calls attention to the sun and the living earth as the constants of the life of these characters, compelling them to action, providing comfort, meaning,joy.
"The sun spun crazily in the sky, like it had gone mad. It burned him. It had been burning ever since he could remember. But he loved it, because everything looked good when it was shining." (p.168)
The part that focuses on the more insular narrative, however, I found very compelling. Selvon expertly inmerses the reader into the world of these characters through the use of dialect and colorful description that bring to life a Caribbean full of sound, smell, rum, hard work and careless violence. In this sense the novel is reminiscent of García Márquez' stories of the Colombian Caribbean.
I particularly liked the way in which Selvon repeatedly calls attention to the sun and the living earth as the constants of the life of these characters, compelling them to action, providing comfort, meaning,joy.
"The sun spun crazily in the sky, like it had gone mad. It burned him. It had been burning ever since he could remember. But he loved it, because everything looked good when it was shining." (p.168)
March 4, 2019
Rating is 3.5.
After reading Golden Child last month, I am happy to read more books set in Trinidad. This debut novel is a coming of age tale set during the final years of World War 2. We follow Tiger, a sixteen year old Indian boy who is being married to Urmilla. This is an arranged marriage and he moves from his hometown of Chaguanas, a sugar cane district to the more urban village of Barataria. Here Tiger struggles to define manhood.
This short novel was unexpectedly humorous. Selvon presents the racial tension in Trinidad very matter of factly. But offers hope for the future through Tiger. The writing style reflects an author who worked in journalism, with the beginning of chapters providing background on the island. But as info dumps which primarily breaks the tension of the book. Despite this flaw, it is well worth the read. The imagery and themes are quite lyrical as there are obvious biblical elements.
Be aware, there is mild language, domestic violence but no graphic sexual content.
After reading Golden Child last month, I am happy to read more books set in Trinidad. This debut novel is a coming of age tale set during the final years of World War 2. We follow Tiger, a sixteen year old Indian boy who is being married to Urmilla. This is an arranged marriage and he moves from his hometown of Chaguanas, a sugar cane district to the more urban village of Barataria. Here Tiger struggles to define manhood.
This short novel was unexpectedly humorous. Selvon presents the racial tension in Trinidad very matter of factly. But offers hope for the future through Tiger. The writing style reflects an author who worked in journalism, with the beginning of chapters providing background on the island. But as info dumps which primarily breaks the tension of the book. Despite this flaw, it is well worth the read. The imagery and themes are quite lyrical as there are obvious biblical elements.
Be aware, there is mild language, domestic violence but no graphic sexual content.
January 16, 2014
An awesome book,filled with dreams and aspirations and how one often struggles to fulfill those dreams.The author chartered the development of the Protagonist in such a way that poverty as well as racism intertwined. The book tells us about a young boy who was at war with becoming a man, being able to read and rise from his current status in society...
October 31, 2018
Can't read. The devs of this app are idiot, in the fact that they don't let you read shit. What is the dam point of this site.
May 16, 2015
The book is really well written and gives an insightful view of Trinidad and Tobago before the end of WWII and teens and the issues they face in regards to responsibility and relationships. It depicts well the journey of a young man into adulthood due to a child marriage. His thoughts, how he deals with marriage, working, a child that is not the preferred biological sex, sexual relations, friendship with racial divides and his path to maturity is well displayed. I thought Urmilla's character could have been highlighted and developed on more. I wanted to know more about her and her thoughts and how she matured as an individual apart from being Tiger's wife and a mother. At the end she still felt like she was not truly accepted by Tiger because she didn't bear a son. Although the book hints that he regrets hitting his wife and accepting a child of any biological sex, I remained with the feeling he did not really understand that it was wrong or the ramifications of it. I guess it goes with the era. Some of the issues Tiger dealt with are sadly still present day issues like domestic violence, the preference for a male child, racial divisions, social inequalities and sexual ignorance. My favourite part was when he stood up to the doctors and gave them a piece of his mind. He tried to challenge the social processes. The character I most enjoyed was Rita.
Want to read
May 28, 2013who are the characters in chapter six
January 11, 2024
I read A Brighter Sun as a bildungsroman with the protagonist, Tiger really coming into his own throughout the course of the novel. He and his young wife, Urmilla are placed together in a Hindu arranged marriage without knowing each other and without knowing much about life in general. They really just had a sense of how to get by via gardening, and cooking and cleaning. Tiger is only 16 when he is thrust into adulthood and Urmilla is even younger than him. Most of all, they are rather ignorant on most things beyond their lives.
Tiger really strives to understand his place in the world and his purpose in life. He wants to try to take control of his life, something that was denied him when he was married to Urmilla and sent to Barataria to live. He wants to be a man and mimics other men, thinking that it is manhood and Urmilla supposedly is a woman when she has their baby girl, Chandra. He takes out some of his frustrations on who is in his control, Urmilla and like a good Indian wife, she continues to stand by him. He does not leave her even after thinking of it and perhaps that is a result of Indian values as well. However, their development is very much intertwined rather than distinct from each other, despite Tiger's desire at times to separate himself from his family. By the end he embraces family and is content enough with that and recognises that some things are out of his control.
Tiger's ambition is beyond reading, which he learns from his mentor Sookdeo who dies. Tiger works and acquires enough money to build a house and continues to strive to make a life for himself and his family. He has a brighter future ahead as symbolized in the brighter sun.
The knowledge he acquired from reading and his experiences also helps him to see things differently from others. He aspires to make life better for all people, not just Indian people. Tiger and Urmilla befriend their neighbours, a black couple, Joe and Rita. Even after their families express dissatisfaction with their friendship, Urmilla and Rita in particular continue to be friends and rise above the racism and tribalism in society. Even with the superiority of whites asserted by some as seen in the incident where Tiger tries to buy a bonnet only to be ignored in favour of a white woman, Sam Selvon has Tiger also recognize whites who are quite friendly and perhaps even more helpful than their own people as seen in the white English doctor coming to see an ill Urmilla at night. This along with the enduring friendship of Urmilla and Rita subverts the Tribalism expressed by Tiger and Urmilla's Indian family.
Gender is a significant topic in the story with the focus of course being on Tiger more than Urmilla. She really settles into her role and loyal and doting wife and mother. In many ways she is a model Indian wife always striving to please her husband even when it is out of her power. Tiger thinks of using violence to express his dominance over Urmilla as a man early on but only finally comes through when he is drunk and labels her a whore for her make-up. This ironically is responsible for him losing the boy-child he so desperately wanted. The shame of beating his wife and causing the stillbirth brings about the change in him for more focus on his family rather than seeing them as more of a hindrance.
Tiger really strives to understand his place in the world and his purpose in life. He wants to try to take control of his life, something that was denied him when he was married to Urmilla and sent to Barataria to live. He wants to be a man and mimics other men, thinking that it is manhood and Urmilla supposedly is a woman when she has their baby girl, Chandra. He takes out some of his frustrations on who is in his control, Urmilla and like a good Indian wife, she continues to stand by him. He does not leave her even after thinking of it and perhaps that is a result of Indian values as well. However, their development is very much intertwined rather than distinct from each other, despite Tiger's desire at times to separate himself from his family. By the end he embraces family and is content enough with that and recognises that some things are out of his control.
Tiger's ambition is beyond reading, which he learns from his mentor Sookdeo who dies. Tiger works and acquires enough money to build a house and continues to strive to make a life for himself and his family. He has a brighter future ahead as symbolized in the brighter sun.
The knowledge he acquired from reading and his experiences also helps him to see things differently from others. He aspires to make life better for all people, not just Indian people. Tiger and Urmilla befriend their neighbours, a black couple, Joe and Rita. Even after their families express dissatisfaction with their friendship, Urmilla and Rita in particular continue to be friends and rise above the racism and tribalism in society. Even with the superiority of whites asserted by some as seen in the incident where Tiger tries to buy a bonnet only to be ignored in favour of a white woman, Sam Selvon has Tiger also recognize whites who are quite friendly and perhaps even more helpful than their own people as seen in the white English doctor coming to see an ill Urmilla at night. This along with the enduring friendship of Urmilla and Rita subverts the Tribalism expressed by Tiger and Urmilla's Indian family.
Gender is a significant topic in the story with the focus of course being on Tiger more than Urmilla. She really settles into her role and loyal and doting wife and mother. In many ways she is a model Indian wife always striving to please her husband even when it is out of her power. Tiger thinks of using violence to express his dominance over Urmilla as a man early on but only finally comes through when he is drunk and labels her a whore for her make-up. This ironically is responsible for him losing the boy-child he so desperately wanted. The shame of beating his wife and causing the stillbirth brings about the change in him for more focus on his family rather than seeing them as more of a hindrance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2022
Reading for school's Literature class doesn't sound like fun, but this book was everything to me as a student. I absolutely fell in love with it as a student. Selvon's description of 1930s Trinidad is so vivid, that at times I felt I was watching a movie. Driving through certain parts of Trinidad now as an adult, I can identify perfect descriptions and reminders of places from this book. Tiger's journey to adulthood is captivating, as is his desperation to fit into an evolving Trinidadian society.
October 17, 2018
This is another of the novels I would turn to, when I was homesick and studying abroad. I absolutely love Samuel Selvon's voice. he reminds me of warm days on Maracas beach and eating mango and plum chow on the back steps with my cousins during the long August holidays. This is a coming to adult tale of two people bound by tradition and trying to make it on their own, in an unfamilar neighbourhood.
July 20, 2018
One of my favorite class assigned reads
Want to read
September 4, 2019Guys how can I start read please help
Read
September 1, 2020I think this book doesn't necessarily spark my personal interest but I think if you like books about life In the Caribbean or creole books you will probably like this
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
October 12, 2020idk
November 6, 2021
I took it upon myself to start reading more books written by Caribbean authors that are about the Caribbean. This was a great read!
February 26, 2022
Engrossing novel about the conflicts that emerge around race, gender, economics, and identity in the face of American imperialism during World War II.
January 31, 2011
Title: A Brighter Sun
Author: Samuel Selvon
Publisher: Longman
Pages: 215
Challenge: Caribbean writers Challenge 2011
Rating: 5 stars
Summary:
The overall theme can be summed up in three phrases; “the journey from adolescence to adulthood”, “The Loss of Innocence”, and “The Quest and acquisition of knowledge”.
The story is set during the turbulent midst of the 2nd World War and centered on the lives of two young Indian peasants forced into marriage and trying to find their way through adulthood in Trinidad. It began with Tiger, young, surprised and naive, trying to prove that he is a man and is independent. With young bride, Urmilla, shy, bewildered and anxious to please, two hundred dollars, a cow and wattle and daub shack, he sets off to the unknown Barataria and adulthood.
Read more
Author: Samuel Selvon
Publisher: Longman
Pages: 215
Challenge: Caribbean writers Challenge 2011
Rating: 5 stars
Summary:
The overall theme can be summed up in three phrases; “the journey from adolescence to adulthood”, “The Loss of Innocence”, and “The Quest and acquisition of knowledge”.
The story is set during the turbulent midst of the 2nd World War and centered on the lives of two young Indian peasants forced into marriage and trying to find their way through adulthood in Trinidad. It began with Tiger, young, surprised and naive, trying to prove that he is a man and is independent. With young bride, Urmilla, shy, bewildered and anxious to please, two hundred dollars, a cow and wattle and daub shack, he sets off to the unknown Barataria and adulthood.
Read more
June 26, 2014
I think this book is very interesting as it shows the new experiences and challenges of a young boy that got married at the age of sixteen years old due to an arranged marriage which he knew nothing about until the day of his wedding, He was trying to learn new things of becoming a man, and this young girl trying to carry on the new processes of life as they both faced challenges of living on their own and learning new things about adult life as they go on.
December 3, 2015
This book sums up the experience of growing up in the Caribbean. Discovering your identify amidst cultural division and carving out a life in the midst of challenges. I read this book in high school but it has always stayed in my mind. If you can get past the broken english dialect.It is a good book.
July 2, 2016
An interesting tale of the growth of a young Indian married couple and their creole neighbour couple told in a colourful language of personification, forshadowing, metaphor etc. It is a history of Trinidad's transition from predominantly agriculture to the Service and Construction economy with a succinct look at the effects on the people.
December 4, 2013
Oh this book was wonderfully written. It was raw as the characters were easy to relate to being a Trinidadian myself, it was comical and heart wrenching. At the end I was very proud of "Tiger", the protagonist, and his attitude toward change and growing up. Great book.
July 14, 2016
The many short stories, both in the Caribbean and English setting offered my first glimpse into the work of a Trinidadian author and kindled somewhat of an obsession with local and regional content. Impeccably written, it makes for easy reading and the nostalgic feeling of home.
December 7, 2007
Sam Selvon's tale about life in Trinidad in the 1930s
December 9, 2007
I read this when I was about 15 for a high school lit class. It's an interesting glimpse into the past and the cultural divides in Trinidad and Tobago at the time. Not exceptional but a good read.
October 8, 2009
Did this book in school for Literature. Fun, emotional, and interesting book. How things were in the old days.
June 12, 2012
In this novel, people have sex on old bags, in huts. I think that was one of the most important points related.
June 28, 2012
I love this book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews