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Corentyne Thunder
First published in 1941, this vivid and poetic family saga was the first modern novel to focus on the lives of immigrants from India in the British Caribbean colonies. Set on the coast of British Guiana, the story spans three generations and revolves around Ramgollal, an old Indian cow-minder on the Corentyne coast who has worked hard for many years to save money and build his herd of cows. He is proud of his children from two marriages, particularly the daughter of his first marriage, who is married to a well-to-do white planter. Their son Geoffry is light-skinned, ambitious, and poised to make a success of his life, and Ramgollal takes much satisfaction in his grandson’s accomplishments. When Geoffry seduces and impregnates Kattree, his mother’s half sister, however, Ramgollal’s world begins to fall apart. Soon thereafter, Kattree’s sister Beena gets involved with a married man who is subsequently arrested on a murder charge, and Ramgollal despairs over his losses. Despite his struggles to respect tradition and provide for the future, these sordid scandals threaten both Ramgollal’s savings and his family’s good name.
260 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1941
2 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
About the author
Edgar Mittelholzer
37 books39 followersEdgar Mittelholzer is considered the first West Indian novelist, i.e. even though there were writers who wrote about Caribbean themes before him, he was the first to make a successful professional life out of it. Born in Guyana (then British Guiana) of Afro-European heritage, he began writing in 1929 and self-published his first book, Creole Chips, in 1937.
Mittelholzer left Guyana for Trinidad in 1941, eventually migrating to England in 1948, living the rest of his life there except for three years in Barbados, and a shorter period in Canada. Between 1951 and 1965, he published twenty-one novels, and two works of non-fiction, including his autobiographical, A Swarthy Boy.
"Mittelholzer's novels include characters and situations from a variety of places within the Caribbean. They range in time from the earliest period of European settlement to the present day and deal with a cross section of ethnic groups and social classes, not to mention subjects of historical, political, psychological, and moral interest. In addition, eight of Mittelholzer's novels are non-Caribbean in subject and setting. For all these reasons he deserves the title of "father" of the novel in the English-speaking Caribbean" - Encyclopedia of World Biography.
Among Edgar Mittelholzer's many honours was to have been the first West Indian to be awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Writing (1952). He died by his own hand in 1965, a suicide by fire predicted in several of his novels.
He published The Mad MacMullochs, written in 1953 and first published in 1959, under the pseudonym H. Austin Woodsley.
Excerpts from:
Peepal Tree Press
http://www.peepaltreepress.com/
Fifty Caribbean Writers: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook by Daryl Cumber Dance.
Mittelholzer left Guyana for Trinidad in 1941, eventually migrating to England in 1948, living the rest of his life there except for three years in Barbados, and a shorter period in Canada. Between 1951 and 1965, he published twenty-one novels, and two works of non-fiction, including his autobiographical, A Swarthy Boy.
"Mittelholzer's novels include characters and situations from a variety of places within the Caribbean. They range in time from the earliest period of European settlement to the present day and deal with a cross section of ethnic groups and social classes, not to mention subjects of historical, political, psychological, and moral interest. In addition, eight of Mittelholzer's novels are non-Caribbean in subject and setting. For all these reasons he deserves the title of "father" of the novel in the English-speaking Caribbean" - Encyclopedia of World Biography.
Among Edgar Mittelholzer's many honours was to have been the first West Indian to be awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Writing (1952). He died by his own hand in 1965, a suicide by fire predicted in several of his novels.
He published The Mad MacMullochs, written in 1953 and first published in 1959, under the pseudonym H. Austin Woodsley.
Excerpts from:
Peepal Tree Press
http://www.peepaltreepress.com/
Fifty Caribbean Writers: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook by Daryl Cumber Dance.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 16, 2025
edgar mittelholzer brings to life the corentyne coast through his rich imagery and introduces readers to a generation of a east-indian guyanese family post- indentured.
i love how he brings the characters to life through dialogue depicting their status and level of education between guyanese creole, a few hindi words, and british english. however i find it questionable of the incest that occurs between geoffry and his “half” aunt, kattree. though it was very telling of his character as he speaks to kattree herself in his rich british english that she cannot understand. also in the peepaltree press version, the introduction by juanita cox makes this connection of the incest using hamlet.
the book was short and lovely but i wanted more! the female characters do so much for the men in their lives and are left to clean their mess and endured more trauma. im not sure if mittelholzer intended to display the misogyny and lack of sex education in the indo-guyanese community but it was interesting read and can honestly be telling of how much has really changed from now -coming from this culture.
i love how he brings the characters to life through dialogue depicting their status and level of education between guyanese creole, a few hindi words, and british english. however i find it questionable of the incest that occurs between geoffry and his “half” aunt, kattree. though it was very telling of his character as he speaks to kattree herself in his rich british english that she cannot understand. also in the peepaltree press version, the introduction by juanita cox makes this connection of the incest using hamlet.
the book was short and lovely but i wanted more! the female characters do so much for the men in their lives and are left to clean their mess and endured more trauma. im not sure if mittelholzer intended to display the misogyny and lack of sex education in the indo-guyanese community but it was interesting read and can honestly be telling of how much has really changed from now -coming from this culture.
December 26, 2014
Mittelholzer's debut novel feels different than his other Caribbean novels. The first three novels of his that I read were "Shadows Move Among Them", "A Morning at the Office" and "Sylvia". These novels got me addicted to him to the point of driving me to purchase five of his still out of print novels, the best of these being "My Bones and My Flute". However, for some reason, I was not so enthusiastic about reading his debut novel. Why? Well, the vicissitudes of an East-Indian family didn't sound as intriguing as the imaginative plot of the other novels.
"Corentyne Thunder" does not have the wit of his later novels, but it does have the atmosphere that Mittelholzer knows how to create, and that I love. This debut novel is a slice of life in Guyana. The novel focuses on a set of East-Indian characters, mainly Ramgolall and his two daughters, in a intricate way.
While Mittelholzer's later novels have an aura of mystery or humor, I found "Corentyne Thunder" to be nostalgic. This novel suffused me with a veil of nostalgia that, even as I am writing and having already finished reading it, is still within me. Of course, this is not a bad thing, but if I had read this novel first, perhaps I would not have been so fascinated with his writing as I became with his later work. Why? Well, because of the lack of mystery and humor present in his later work.
Mittelholzer's favorite topic, as in his later work, is here: the different social classes that make up Guyana. It focuses mostly on rural Guyana, and while I was afraid that I would not understand the English spoken by the East-Indian characters, I quickly got used to it and figured out how it worked. I only thought it a bit odd how Geoffry, cultured and educated, would use a refined kind of English when he spoke with Kattree, who had no education at all. However, descriptions and the narration are in standard English, and are a pleasure to read due to his beautiful use of the language.
His descriptions of the savannah and weather can be a little elaborated, but they made me feel as if I was there. References to duppies and jumbies were also fun to read although, at times, I felt he was overusing them. However, I thought his references to music and literature were forced and unnecessary.
If I were to complain about anything it would be that some characters came and stayed, but then suddenly left, making me wonder about them. Geoffry had very interesting and current dilemmas, and I wonder how much of Edgar Mittelholzer was in him. He suddenly leaves the book and since his personality had different shades, and was the only character with depth, I wish he had stayed longer in the book, or that Mittelholzer had not waited for so long to develop him.
There's a lot in this book, when it comes to plot and sub-plots, that makes reading it worth it and entertaining, from beginning to end. There is first and unrequited love. There are Hindu festivals, and there's even a murder and trial case.
Am I glad that I read it? Well, this is my ninth Mittelholzer book, and I am still craving for more of his writing. I wish Peepal Tree Press would reissue more of his out of print books.
"Corentyne Thunder" does not have the wit of his later novels, but it does have the atmosphere that Mittelholzer knows how to create, and that I love. This debut novel is a slice of life in Guyana. The novel focuses on a set of East-Indian characters, mainly Ramgolall and his two daughters, in a intricate way.
While Mittelholzer's later novels have an aura of mystery or humor, I found "Corentyne Thunder" to be nostalgic. This novel suffused me with a veil of nostalgia that, even as I am writing and having already finished reading it, is still within me. Of course, this is not a bad thing, but if I had read this novel first, perhaps I would not have been so fascinated with his writing as I became with his later work. Why? Well, because of the lack of mystery and humor present in his later work.
Mittelholzer's favorite topic, as in his later work, is here: the different social classes that make up Guyana. It focuses mostly on rural Guyana, and while I was afraid that I would not understand the English spoken by the East-Indian characters, I quickly got used to it and figured out how it worked. I only thought it a bit odd how Geoffry, cultured and educated, would use a refined kind of English when he spoke with Kattree, who had no education at all. However, descriptions and the narration are in standard English, and are a pleasure to read due to his beautiful use of the language.
His descriptions of the savannah and weather can be a little elaborated, but they made me feel as if I was there. References to duppies and jumbies were also fun to read although, at times, I felt he was overusing them. However, I thought his references to music and literature were forced and unnecessary.
If I were to complain about anything it would be that some characters came and stayed, but then suddenly left, making me wonder about them. Geoffry had very interesting and current dilemmas, and I wonder how much of Edgar Mittelholzer was in him. He suddenly leaves the book and since his personality had different shades, and was the only character with depth, I wish he had stayed longer in the book, or that Mittelholzer had not waited for so long to develop him.
There's a lot in this book, when it comes to plot and sub-plots, that makes reading it worth it and entertaining, from beginning to end. There is first and unrequited love. There are Hindu festivals, and there's even a murder and trial case.
Am I glad that I read it? Well, this is my ninth Mittelholzer book, and I am still craving for more of his writing. I wish Peepal Tree Press would reissue more of his out of print books.
July 20, 2010
Corentyne Thunder is a landmark novel for Caribbean writers, but after reading it I can understand the initial difficulty of selling Island peasant stories to the English and American reading public. While the plot dealt with universal themes of family, sex, property and success, I couldn’t relate to the characters. I have read other books about poverty and hardship like “The Grapes of Wrath” or “The Mystic Masseur”, and even Bukowski characters live in a type of poverty I can comprehend, but Mittelholzer’s characters in Corentyne Thunder are completely foreign to me. Adding to the sense of foreignness is the dialect; I had trouble deciphering the dialogue, and I’ve never had this issue with Naipaul’s writings.
Corentyne Thunder was a short book that took me too long to read. It read like a novice writer’s first book; the allusions to weather were heavy-handed, the plot was thin and none of the characters were particularly sympathetic to me. The humor that Mittelholzer would display in later books was absent here. All in all, I didn’t like much about this book.
Another issue I have with the three Mittelholzer books I’ve read so far is the obvious references to classical literature, music and art. It is apparent that Mittelholzer felt a need to inform the greater world that Islanders too were educated and intelligent, but for me this is readily apparent in beautiful prose and an ability to convey the universality of the human condition. I wish he didn’t have to be so defensive about being an Islander (I know, Guyana is not an island, but culturally it is a part of the Caribbean), but I suppose he was fighting a battle for recognition and equality. Fortunately, because of the efforts of writers like Mittelholzer, Caribbean authors were finally awarded the recognition and respect they rightfully deserved.
Corentyne Thunder was a short book that took me too long to read. It read like a novice writer’s first book; the allusions to weather were heavy-handed, the plot was thin and none of the characters were particularly sympathetic to me. The humor that Mittelholzer would display in later books was absent here. All in all, I didn’t like much about this book.
Another issue I have with the three Mittelholzer books I’ve read so far is the obvious references to classical literature, music and art. It is apparent that Mittelholzer felt a need to inform the greater world that Islanders too were educated and intelligent, but for me this is readily apparent in beautiful prose and an ability to convey the universality of the human condition. I wish he didn’t have to be so defensive about being an Islander (I know, Guyana is not an island, but culturally it is a part of the Caribbean), but I suppose he was fighting a battle for recognition and equality. Fortunately, because of the efforts of writers like Mittelholzer, Caribbean authors were finally awarded the recognition and respect they rightfully deserved.
August 5, 2012
Ah, I loved it! Granted, parts of the plot are a bit predictable. Or is that what they call "foreshadowing"? Nevertheless, I was enthralled by Mittelholzer's sultry descriptions of the Guyanese landscape and his scrupulous study of its (Guyana's) climate. Though I did not wholly identify with each character, I understood their motivations and loved/hated them accordingly. The dialect used in "Corentyne Thunder" was as faithful as one can get (within the framework of a written narrative) to the real thing. Many of the expressions and intonations that appear in the novel are still used by my parents and my older relatives. Overall, Mittelholzer does an awesome job at chronicling the quotidian desires and exploits of a displaced people living under British colonial rule. yay!
December 31, 2018
Interesting and gives good insight to colonial influences in the West Indies, as well as language and culture development. Storyline is a bit slow in the beginning but picks up fairly quickly towards the middle of the book. Good read.
October 12, 2017
The best descriptions of weather in fiction I have ever read...
December 29, 2025
Vivid descriptions of nature and complex relationships between characters
September 4, 2014
I enjoyed this book. Mittelholzer's writing is poetic and readable, and the Guyanese creole was pretty accurate. Perhaps it would be somewhat difficult to read for a person not versed in the dialect, but it seems easy enough to catch on.
As for the plot, I thought it was simple and sweet, with a quality easily transferable to film (the location of course would be "a character of its own"). Poverty, nature, love, the human condition, justice-- all encompassed in a story about a poor family in the colonial Guyanese countryside circa 1920/30. Lovely!
When published, the book was heralded for its depiction of an invisible, 'unworthy' social group ( former indentured laborers from India). In that sense, Mittelholzer does this community justice-- and in another, it's limited because of his middle-class colonialist perspective. There's a lot of romanticizing, which may have had the effect of distancing the reader from the characters. But overall a great read.
As for the plot, I thought it was simple and sweet, with a quality easily transferable to film (the location of course would be "a character of its own"). Poverty, nature, love, the human condition, justice-- all encompassed in a story about a poor family in the colonial Guyanese countryside circa 1920/30. Lovely!
When published, the book was heralded for its depiction of an invisible, 'unworthy' social group ( former indentured laborers from India). In that sense, Mittelholzer does this community justice-- and in another, it's limited because of his middle-class colonialist perspective. There's a lot of romanticizing, which may have had the effect of distancing the reader from the characters. But overall a great read.
Read
October 9, 2009Brought back memories of life in Guyana's country-side. Oh those good old days!
Read
January 16, 2018True,true story dont lie... spot on..
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews