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CELEBRATING SIXTY (60) YEARS OF JAMAICAN INDEPENDENCE: FICTION
From Claude McKay to Diana McCaulay, from Una Marson to Marlon James, fiction has always been integral to the evolution and expression of Jamaica culture. As the country enters its sixtieth year of independence, it is a good time to explore the diversity and imagination inherent in Jamaica's literary output. This guide is simply an introduction to the fictional landscape, definitely not exhaustive and serves as a celebration of Jamaica's storytelling capacity. Although Jamaican fiction has its beginnings in the 19th century with the contributions of such persons as Thomas MacDermot (who wrote as 'Tom Redcam') and includes in its pantheon such luminaries as Claude MacKay, Adolphe Roberts and Una Marson, the guide features those writers whose works were published after nineteen sixty-two. Also included are writers who though they reside abroad have made their space firmly within the Diaspora, embracing their Jamaican heritage through the written word, adding to the richness of the Jamaican narrative by sharing their diverse experiences within the societies they reside.
Below is The Anthology of Independence Literature which was published in celebration of Jamaica gaining its Independence from the British. Read it if you can, it contains stories and poetry by writers such as John Hearne, Hartley Neita, H.G. De Lisser and V.S. Reid including an excerpt from Roger Mais' classic work 'Brother Man'. |
