Description
Sam Selvon, a contemporary writer of major importance, is well known to
British and Caribbean readers, but his work -- including ten novels --
has not attained the prominence it deserves internationally. This study
is a literary analysis of Selvon's use of Trinidad Creole English
as an important component of his style and method of fictional
composition. Wyke follows the development of Selvon's writing from
his early to his late career, starting with his first novel, A
Brighter Sun (1952), continuing with The Lonely Londoners
(1956) and the short stories Ways of Sunlight (1957), and
devoting a large part of the book to Selvon's middle and later
years, focusing on such novels as I Hear Thunder (1963),
The Housing Lark (1965), and Those Who Eat the
Cascadura (1972). He finishes with the last two works of
Selvon's trilogy, Moses Ascending (1975) and Moses
Migrating (1983).
Reviews
Clement H. Wyke has now written a highly useful guide to Sam Selvon's linguistic virtuosity, together with some helpful comments on Selvon's sense of place.
- Gerald Guinness