Phyllis Shand Allfrey
Encyclopedia
Phyllis Byam Shand Allfrey (24 October 1915 – January 1986) was a West Indian writer
, socialist activist, newspaper editor and politician of the island of Dominica
in the Caribbean
.
She is best known for her first novel, The Orchid House (1953), based on her own early life, which in 1991 was turned into a Channel 4
television miniseries in the United Kingdom.
, Dominica, West Indies, in 1915, she was the daughter of Francis Byam Berkeley Shand by his marriage to Elfreda Nicholls and was baptized Phyllis Byam. Her father was a member of a distinguished white settler family long established in Roseau, and with roots in the West Indies going back to the 17th century. Phyllis later described herself as "a West Indian of over 300 years' standing, despite my pale face". Her earliest ancestor in the West Indies was Lieutenant General William Byam, a Royalist officer who in 1644 defended Bridgwater
against a parliamentary force. Imprisoned in the Tower of London
, he was permitted to migrate to the West Indies. After the Restoration of King Charles II
in 1660, he was granted estates in Antigua
.
.
In politics, Allfrey founded the Dominica Labour Party
. On the formation of the West Indies Federation
, this was affiliated to the West Indies Federal Labour Party
, and in 1958 she was elected to the new West Indies legislature, representing Dominica. Within weeks she was serving in the government of Sir Grantley Adams
as Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and was the only woman minister of the new Federation.
She edited the Dominica Herald and also published and wrote for another newspaper, The Dominica Star, which was in being between 1965 and 1982.
Allfrey died in Dominica in 1986. A posthumous collection of her short stories, It Falls Into Place, was published in 2004. She left behind her an unpublished novel, In the Cabinet.
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...
, socialist activist, newspaper editor and politician of the island of Dominica
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
in the 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...
.
She is best known for her first novel, The Orchid House (1953), based on her own early life, which in 1991 was turned into a Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
television miniseries in the United Kingdom.
Early life and family background
Born in RoseauRoseau
-Architecture:The central district of Roseau is tightly packed with small and large houses and even larger modern concrete structures. There is little green or open space situated within the city, and this is even more so today, as many of the courtyards which was once commonplace within the city...
, Dominica, West Indies, in 1915, she was the daughter of Francis Byam Berkeley Shand by his marriage to Elfreda Nicholls and was baptized Phyllis Byam. Her father was a member of a distinguished white settler family long established in Roseau, and with roots in the West Indies going back to the 17th century. Phyllis later described herself as "a West Indian of over 300 years' standing, despite my pale face". Her earliest ancestor in the West Indies was Lieutenant General William Byam, a Royalist officer who in 1644 defended Bridgwater
Bridgwater
Bridgwater is a market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is the administrative centre of the Sedgemoor district, and a major industrial centre. Bridgwater is located on the major communication routes through South West England...
against a parliamentary force. Imprisoned in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
, he was permitted to migrate to the West Indies. After the Restoration of King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
in 1660, he was granted estates in Antigua
Antigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
.
Life and career
Phyllis Shand married Robert Allfrey, an Englishman, and they had five children, including their adopted son, Robbie, from a Carib reservation. Their daughter Phina was killed in a motor accident in RhodesiaRhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
.
In politics, Allfrey founded the Dominica Labour Party
Dominica Labour Party
The Dominica Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Dominica.-History:Founded in 1955 by Phyllis Shand Allfrey and Emmanuel Christopher Loblack, it is the oldest political party in Dominica. It first contested general elections in 1961, winning seven of the eleven seats. In the next...
. On the formation of the West Indies Federation
West Indies Federation
The West Indies Federation, also known as the Federation of the West Indies, was a short-lived Caribbean federation that existed from January 3, 1958, to May 31, 1962. It consisted of several Caribbean colonies of the United Kingdom...
, this was affiliated to the West Indies Federal Labour Party
West Indies Federal Labour Party
The West Indies Federal Labour Party was one of the two main Federal parties in the short-lived West Indies Federation. The party was the first national party of the planned West Indies Federation. It was organised by Norman Manley, Grantley Adams, V.C...
, and in 1958 she was elected to the new West Indies legislature, representing Dominica. Within weeks she was serving in the government of Sir Grantley Adams
Grantley Herbert Adams
Sir Grantley Herbert Adams, CMG, QC was a Barbadian and British West Indian politician.Grantley Herbert Adams was born at Colliston, Government Hill, St. Michael on April 28, 1898. He was the third child of seven born to Fitzherbert Adams and the former Rosa Frances Turney. Grantley was educated...
as Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and was the only woman minister of the new Federation.
She edited the Dominica Herald and also published and wrote for another newspaper, The Dominica Star, which was in being between 1965 and 1982.
Allfrey died in Dominica in 1986. A posthumous collection of her short stories, It Falls Into Place, was published in 2004. She left behind her an unpublished novel, In the Cabinet.
Publications
- In Circles (poems, 1940)
- Palm and Oak (poems, 1950)
- The Orchid House (1953)
External links
- "O Stay and Hear" (short story by Allfrey published in the August 2004 Caribbean Review of Books
- The Dominica Star is freely and fully available in the Digital Library of the CaribbeanDigital Library of the CaribbeanThe Digital Library of the Caribbean is an international digital library operated collaboratively by the contributing partners.-Partners:...