Caribbean fiction has become an intricate part of my life. I was exposed to this genre only two years ago, something I ashamedly admit. Despite being from the Caribbean, I was never given books by Caribbean authors, so imagine my naivety in knowing this genre exists. This in itself frustrated me, because I spent most of my educational years in the Caribbean, where I took literature classes.
Looking back, I now see that everything I read was from a Eurocentric or Americanized background. This formulated a plethora of questions in my mind, like “why is there this wealth of Caribbean fiction and I’m only now finding out about it," and “why wasn’t this genre exposed to me through my school’s curriculum in the Caribbean?” Although we have established independence in the Caribbean, there seems to be a colonization of our minds going on through the books we are given. The Caribbean is filled with amazing writers, with incredible work and accomplishments, and as much as I can appreciate “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee or Shakespeare, I ask, “why aren’t we embracing our own?" This just may simply be my truth, but I would l love to know about your reading experience in the Caribbean. This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart, and I think everyone should have Caribbean fiction as part of their readership, especially if you’re Caribbean. It’s like George Lamming puts it:
The third most important event in West Indian history is the discovery of the novel by West Indians as a way of projecting the inner experiences of the West Indian community.
So, I leave you with five Caribbean authors and their work to add to your library. Happy Reading!
1. Edwidge Danticat
Edwidge is the author of “Breath, Eyes, Memory," “Krik, Krak!,” “The Farming of Bones," “Claire of the Sea Light,” “Create Dangerously: The Immigrant Artist at Work," “Brother, I’m Dying,” and so many other prolific works. She is of Haitian descent, and her first published book “Breath, Eyes, Memory” was a part of Oprah’s book club selection. She is the winner of the American Book Award, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and so many others.
2. Jamaica Kincaid
Author of “Annie John,” “Lucy," “The Autobiography of My Mother,” “Mr. Potter," “See Now Then," “A Small Place," “My Brother," and so much more. Jamaica Kincaid was born in Antigua in 1949. Her list of accolades includes the Guggenheim Award for Fiction, the Anisfield Wolf Book Awards for "The Autobiography of My Mother," the Center for Fiction's Clifton Fadiman Medal for "Annie John," and the Lannan Literary Awards, just to name a few.
3. V. S. Naipaul
Born 1932 in Trinidad, V.S. Naipaul has won the Noble Prize in Literature. His works include “An Area of Darkness," “Mr. Stone and The Knight's Companion," “A Flag on the Island," “The Mimic Man," “The Loss of El Dorado," “Guerrillas," “In a Free State," “Away in the World," “The Mystic Masseur," and many others.
4. George Lamming
George Lamming is the veteran of the bunch. He was born in Barbados in 1927. His published work includes “In the Castle of My Skin," “The Emigrants," “Of Age and Innocence,” “Season of Adventure," “Water with Berries,” “Natives of my Person," “The Pleasures of Exile," “Caribbean Reasonings,” and much more. His award list consists of The President's Award, the Lifetime Achievement-the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, the Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Langston Hughes Medal, to name a few.
5. Junot Díaz
Junot Díaz is from the Dominican Republic. He is one of the top writers in the 21st century. His work includes “Drown," “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," and “This Is How You Lose Her." He has won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," theNational Book Critics Circle Award, a MacArthur Fellowship, the National Book Award, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and so many others. Díaz has proven that he is a force to be reckoned with.
