Jane King
Encyclopedia
Jane King is a St. Lucian
poet, a leading West Indian writer
of the generation born after World War II
. She was born in Castries
but had a peripatetic childhood, as her family spent time in Trinidad and Tobago
, Barbados
, and Scotland
during her early years. She won a St Lucia island scholarship to study at the University of Edinburgh
. Since 1976 she has taught in various institutions, including the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College
in Castries
where she is now the Dean of their Division of Arts and General Studies.
King has published two collections of poems: Into the Centre (1993) and Fellow Traveller (1994, Commonwealth Writers Prize, Caribbean and Canada, and James Rodway Memorial Prize). Her poems are known for the wry wit with which they address the place of a light-skinned narrator in a race-conscious Caribbean
as well as concerns over the role of the creative imagination in Caribbean
societies.
She is also an actor and theatre director, co-founder of St Lucia's Lighthouse Theatre Company.
She is married to poet Kendel Hippolyte.
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
poet, a leading West Indian writer
West Indian literature
Caribbean literature is the term generally accepted for the literature of the various territories of the Caribbean region. Literature in English specifically from the former British West Indies may be referred to as Anglo-Caribbean or, in historical contexts, West Indian literature, although in...
of the generation born after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She was born in Castries
Castries
Castries , population 10,634, aggl. 37,963 , is the capital city of Saint Lucia, a country in the Caribbean. The district with the same name had a population of 61,341 in 2001-05-22, and stretches over an area of ....
but had a peripatetic childhood, as her family spent time in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
, Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
during her early years. She won a St Lucia island scholarship to study at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. Since 1976 she has taught in various institutions, including the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College
Sir Arthur Lewis Community College
Sir Arthur Lewis Community College is the only community college of Saint Lucia. The college is named after Saint Lucian economist and Nobel laureate Sir Arthur Lewis....
in Castries
Castries
Castries , population 10,634, aggl. 37,963 , is the capital city of Saint Lucia, a country in the Caribbean. The district with the same name had a population of 61,341 in 2001-05-22, and stretches over an area of ....
where she is now the Dean of their Division of Arts and General Studies.
King has published two collections of poems: Into the Centre (1993) and Fellow Traveller (1994, Commonwealth Writers Prize, Caribbean and Canada, and James Rodway Memorial Prize). Her poems are known for the wry wit with which they address the place of a light-skinned narrator in a race-conscious Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
as well as concerns over the role of the creative imagination in Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
societies.
She is also an actor and theatre director, co-founder of St Lucia's Lighthouse Theatre Company.
She is married to poet Kendel Hippolyte.