The Penguin Book of Caribbean Verse in English

by Paula Burnett

Over the last few decades Caribbean writers - performance poets, newspaper poets, singer-songwriters - have created a genuinely popular art form, a poetry heard by audiences all over the world. At the same time, even at its most literary, Caribbean poetry shares the vigour of the oral tradition. Writers like Nobel Prize winner Derek Walcott, and many other exciting new voices, are exploring ways of capturing the vitality of the spoken word on the page. Both of these traditions are represented in this lively anthology, which traces Caribbean verse from its roots to the present.

Genres: Poetry, Anthologies

512 pages, Paperback

First published September 2, 1986

Reviews

[G.D. Master · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Penguin Book of Caribbean Verse in English” is a mouthful. This academic anthology tries to introduce students to the breadth of Caribbean literature in approximately 368 pages. The history and blending of races and cultures in the Caribbean cannot be covered in a single book. But what editor Paula Burnett has managed to pull together, in this abridged text of such a rich historical and cultural nexus, is an excellent beginning. It may be the best place for students interested in the roots of Caribbean literature and where it is headed to start their research. The book is divided into three sections: Introduction, The Oral Tradition, and The Literary Tradition. The Introduction of this book is important; it isn’t just a collection of random criticism and acknowledgements. It is an actual written time line of important literary events and transitions that helped define some of the more well-known traditions of Caribbean Literature. It talks about the importance of radio and music in early Caribbean media and how it broke the barriers of the American music industry with Ska, Mento, and Dub, to blend into modern Hip-Hop. Raga and its progenitors, Lord Kitchener, The Mighty Sparrow, and Jimmy Cliff, have chapters devoted to their work in the “The Oral Tradition” section. Also important and most entertaining in the “The Oral Tradition” section is the chapter on Louis Bennett. Her work is written in an English Pidgin dialect and describes cultural notions of Caribbean immigration to other countries. In “The Literary Tradition” section of this book are early examples of historical writing, like James Grainger’s account of sugar agriculture and refinement techniques, other significant writings lead chronologically up to later and more contemporary writers like Derek Walcott and Edward Kamau Brathwaite. Every chapter in this incredibly diverse book entertains challenges and introduces readers to a rich literary cultural experience found nowhere else in the world, and for good reason. The Caribbean is host to cultures and languages from all continents of the world. Unlike the seemingly intentional melting pot of the United States, cultural diversification has been a continuing way of existence in the Caribbean since the earliest European explorers crossed the Atlantic.

[Téyo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lecture très intéressante. Y’a des textes un peu compliqués à comprendre à cause du dialecte et du patois, et d’autres qui sont vraiment magnifiques. C’était chouette de le lire en étant aux Caraïbes.

[for-much-deliberation ... · Rating 5 out of 5]

an unmatched anthology of West Indian poetry following both oral and literary traditions from the 1700's to the 1980's. this edition also includes biographical notes for the writers...

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so far from being any kind of knowledgeable about Dub Lit., but this collection was super useful for my Dub Lit course. The paper’s great for annotating too.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A splendid anthology, neither turning away from colonialism and racism nor leaving out the voices of resistance and transformation.