- Literature of Guyana
Guyana has produced a number of authors, most of whom write in theEnglish language . Many Guyanese-born writers have emigrated abroad.History of Guyanese literature
The first book written on Guyana, by Sir Walter Raleigh, was "The Discoverie of the Large, Rich, and Beauwtiful Empyre of Guiana (With a Relation of the Great and Golden Citie of Manoa (Which the Spanyards call El Dorado) and of the Provinces of Emeria, Aromaia, Amapaia, and Other Countries, with Their Riulers, Adjoyning" (Robert Robinson: London,
1596 ).One of the earliest and most famous Guyanese authors was
Edgar Mittelholzer , author of "Corentyne Thunder". His works often deal with issues of interracial relations, particularly the strain between European and non-European Guyanese.Famous authors include
E. R. Braithwaite author of "To Sir, With Love",Roy Heath , author of the "Georgetown Trilogy" and "The Shadow Bride",Wilson Harris author of 'Palace of the Peacock',David Dabydeen andMichael Gilkes (writer) . Heath, Harris and Dabydeen now live in Britain, while Gilkes lives in Bermuda.They were succeeded by a new generation of writers from the 1980s onward, including
Beryl Gilroy ,John Agard ,Cyril Dabydeen , and David Dabydeen.Martin Carter is considered Guyana's greatest poet.Michael Abbensetts is a noted playwright.Vincent Roth wrote "A Life in Guyana".In recent years,
Pauline Melville has written "The Ventriloquist's Tale",Oonya Kempadoo has written "Buxton Spice", andSharon Maas has written Of Marriageable Age, Peacocks Dancing and The Speech of Angels.The famous and influential intellectual
Walter Rodney was Guyanese. His most important book was "How Europe Underdeveloped Africa " (1972 ). Travelling and teaching widely he was a proponent ofPan-Africanism and a supporter of the downtrodden. Rodney returned to Guyana in1974 and was active in the opposition movement, leading to his assassination in1980 .Guyana Prizes for Literature
The Guyana Prizes for Literature were founded by President
Desmond Hoyte in 1987, with a view to promoting the development of local literature. Prizes are awarded biennially in categories including best book of fiction, best first book of fiction, best book of poems, best first book of poems, and best play. The Guyana Prizes are managed by a Committee consisting of a number of University personnel, and the Chief Librarian of the Guyana National Library.Winners have included
Wilson Harris ,Fred D'Aguiar ,David Dabydeen ,D. Gokarran Sukhdeo ,Pauline Melville , Ian McDonald,Cyril Dabydeen andRuel Johnson .Guyana Poetry Prize
Previous winners:
Fred D'Aguiar ,Grace Nichols , Ian McDonald."'References
*Balkaran, Lal, ed. "Bibliography of Guyana & Guyanese Writers 1596-2004: An A-Z Guide of Books on Guyana by Guyanese and Non-Guyanese Writers and On Other Subjects by Guyanese Writers" with a Foreword by Professor Jan Carew. (LBA Publications, 18 Portsmouth Drive, Scarborough, Ont. M1C 5E1, 2004. 150pp. $45.00: E-mail: lalbalkaran@rogers.com.
External links
* [http://www.peepaltreepress.com/feature_display.asp?id=10| Guyanese Literature] by Jeremy Poynting.
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