Literature of Trinidad and Tobago
Encyclopedia
Trinidad and Tobago literature has its roots in oral story telling among African slaves, the European literary
roots of the French creole
s and in the religious and folk tales of the India
n indentured
immigrants. It blossomed in the twentieth century with the writings of C.L.R. James, V.S. Naipaul and Saint Lucia
n-born Derek Walcott
as part of the growth of West Indian literature
.
European literature
European literature refers to the literature of Europe.European literature includes literature in many languages; among the most important of the modern written works are those in English, Spanish, French, Dutch, Polish, German, Italian, Modern Greek, Czech and Russian and works by the...
roots of the French creole
French-based creole languages
A French Creole, or French-based Creole language, is a creole language based on the French language, more specifically on a 17th century koiné French extant in Paris, the French Atlantic harbors, and the nascent French colonies...
s and in the religious and folk tales of the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n indentured
Indentured servant
Indentured servitude refers to the historical practice of contracting to work for a fixed period of time, typically three to seven years, in exchange for transportation, food, clothing, lodging and other necessities during the term of indenture. Usually the father made the arrangements and signed...
immigrants. It blossomed in the twentieth century with the writings of C.L.R. James, V.S. Naipaul and Saint Lucia
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...
n-born Derek Walcott
Derek Walcott
Derek Alton Walcott, OBE OCC is a Saint Lucian poet, playwright, writer and visual artist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992 and the T. S. Eliot Prize in 2011 for White Egrets. His works include the Homeric epic Omeros...
as part of the growth of West Indian literature
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...
.
Significant writers
- James Christopher Aboud
- Michael AnthonyMichael Anthony (author)Michael Anthony, an eminent Caribbean author and historian, was born in Mayaro, Trinidad and Tobago on February 10, 1932 to Nathaniel Anthony and Eva Jones Lazarus. After an unsatisfying job as a young foundry worker in Pointe-à-Pierre for five years, he sought to become a journalist, but poems of...
- Robert AntoniRobert AntoniRobert Antoni is a West Indian writer who was awarded the 1999 Aga Khan Prize for Fiction by The Paris Review for "My Grandmother's Tale of How Crab-o Lost His Head".- Background :...
- Kevin BaldeosinghKevin BaldeosinghKevin Baldeosingh is a Trinidadian newspaper columnist, author and Humanist, who has been involved in many controversial social issues. He now works with the Trinidad and Tobago Express as a writer on a freelance basis.-Writing:...
- Vahni CapildeoVahni CapildeoSurya Vahni Priya Capildeo is a Trinidadian writer, and a member of the extended Capildeo family which has produced notable Trinidadian politicians and writers ....
- Ramabai Espinet
- Albert GomesAlbert GomesAlbert Maria Gomes , a Trinidad and Tobago unionist, politician, and writer of Portuguese descent, was the first Chief Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. He was the founder of the Political Progress Groups and later led the Party of Political Progress Groups...
- Cecil GrayCecil GrayCecil Gray was a Scottish music critic and composer. He published books on the composers Jean Sibelius, Peter Warlock and Carlo Gesualdo, the last of these co-authored by the same Warlock; also a history of music, collections of essays on music, a play about Gilles de Rais and an autobiography.He...
- C.L.R. James
- Anthony JosephAnthony JosephAnthony Joseph is a British poet, novelist, musician and lecturer.Joseph was born in Trinidad and was raised by his grandparents. He began writing as a young child and cites his main influences as the Calypso, surrealism, jazz, the spiritual Baptist church that his grandparents attended, and the...
- Ismith Khan
- Harold "Sonny" LadooHarold Sonny LadooHarold Sonny Ladoo was a Caribbean novelist and author of two books documenting the struggles of living in poverty in the Hindu communities of Trinidad and Tobago.Ladoo was born and grew up in an environment much like the world of his novels...
- Earl LovelaceEarl LovelaceFor the peerage, see Earl of Lovelace.Earl Lovelace is a Trinidadian novelist, journalist, playwright, and short story writer....
- Rabindranath MaharajRabindranath MaharajRabindranath Maharaj is a Canadian novelist, short story writer, and a founding editor of the literary journal Lichen...
- Ian McDonald
- Alfred Mendes
- Shani MootooShani MootooShani Mootoo is a writer who was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1958 to Trinidadian parents. She was raised in Trinidad, where she initially began to explore the artistic and literary world. She began writing and creating visual that drew on her ideas regarding sexual relations between members of the...
- Shiva NaipaulShiva NaipaulShiva Naipaul , born Shivadhar Srivinasa Naipaul in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, was a Trinidadian and British novelist and journalist.Shiva Naipaul was the younger brother of novelist V. S. Naipaul...
- V. S. NaipaulV. S. NaipaulSir Vidiadhar Surajprasad "V. S." Naipaul, TC is a Nobel prize-winning Indo-Trinidadian-British writer who is known for his novels focusing on the legacy of the British Empire's colonialism...
- Roi KwabenaRoi KwabenaDr. Roi Ankhkara Kwabena was a cultural anthropologist, who worked with all age ranges in Europe, Africa, Latin-America and the Caribbean for over 30 years....
- Lakshmi PersaudLakshmi PersaudLakshmi Persaud is a Indo-Caribbean novelist. She was born in Trinidad and Tobago in 1939. She is classified also as a novelist of the Indian diaspora. Some of her writings are on Indo-Caribbean themes as well as themes of cultural change. She has published four novels...
- Jennifer Rahim
- Eric Roach
- Lawrence ScottLawrence ScottLawrence Scott is a novelist from Trinidad & Tobago, currently living in London and Trinidad. He is presently a Senior Research Fellow at The Academy for the Arts, Letters, Culture and Public Affairs at the University of Trinidad & Tobago ....
- Samuel SelvonSamuel SelvonSamuel Selvon was a Trinidad-born writer. Selvon was educated at Naparima College, San Fernando before moving to London, England in the 1950s, and later to Alberta, Canada. He is known for novels such as The Lonely Londoners and Moses Ascending...
- Derek WalcottDerek WalcottDerek Alton Walcott, OBE OCC is a Saint Lucian poet, playwright, writer and visual artist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992 and the T. S. Eliot Prize in 2011 for White Egrets. His works include the Homeric epic Omeros...