Part I
By Petamber Persaud
The 2012 Guyana Prize for Literature (awarded September 2013) in a way fulfils an A. J. Seymour prophecy made more than four decades ago when Seymour, writing on Guyanese Literature, concluded that the eventual winner in the whole affair will always be Guyana, the country.
There are many more layers of meaning to what took place at the recent awarding of the Prize but the focus here will be on the fact that four of the five winners were locally-based Guyanese writers.
Following are the four winners:
• Ruel Johnson won the Best Book of Fiction award with his book, “Collected Fictions”
• Cassia Alphonso (“Black Cake Mix”) and Ian McDonald (“The Comfort of All Things”) shared the award in the category of Best Book of Poetry.
• Mosa Telford won in the category of drama for her play “Sauda”.
Significantly, “Collected Fictions” was published locally, as was “The Comfort of All Things”. “Collected Fictions” was published by its author, while “The Comfort of All Things” was published by Moray House Trust. The other collection of poems, “Black Cake Mix”, was submitted as a manuscript, and so was Telford’s play “Sauda”.
The winning entries were described as follows:
“Collected Fictions” is “a semi-autobiographical collection of short fiction that addresses racial and political tensions, relationships and displacement.” Prof Jane Bryce, chairman of the panel of judges, added that “Collected Fictions” “displays a variety of techniques and approaches, some of which were better than others – first person memoirs, satire, humour, bathos, pathos and allegory and an experiment of transcription from technological media.
The collection treats familiar themes such as racial and political tension, relationships and displacement, the effects of emigration with the originality of expression and the consciousness of the writing process…it makes good use of interiority , point of view and good use of linguistic registrar.”
“Black Cake Mix” is a “collection of evocative poems with a well-realized Creole voice.” Bryce noted that “the judges acknowledged the distinctive voice and vision that stood out in this year’s submission. Alphonso’s poetic range includes dramatic monologues, dialogues and first person narratives which form a device in which she clarifies an imaginative world. She tackles big subjects from an original but also acceptable perspective, using words carefully to create rhythm and flow and with an eye on social history. She is concerned about language and the representation of power which means she seeks to allow things to be themselves. She does not use language to contain, reduce or to claim power over others. Alphonso’s poems are real – tangible and material and sensuously enjoyable.”
“The Comfort of All Things” is “an elegiac musings by a mature poet on aging and mortality.” “The Comfort of All Things”, the chairman of the panel observed, is “a well-written collection where the quality of individual poems varies quite significantly. The task the poet had set himself of writing simply…is in fact a challenge. At its best the simplicity is rare and striking; the tone is truly moving and reflective. The dominant tone is both meditative and joyful. Overall the collection achieves the clarity and timelessness that comes from having put things in a lifelong perspective.”
“Sauda” is “a morality tale about the need for understanding and forgiveness between mothers and daughters, and the difficulties of escaping from a legacy of self-contempt.” Bryce pointed out that “Sauda” is centred on “a thought provoking subject of a girl who grows up in fear after her mother continually rejects her because of the darkness of her skin; as a result she falls into prostitution. The dramaturgy is strong – the dialogue, characterization, pace and timing all worked, and the way women’s secrets are revealed in the course of the action as suspense and emotional depth…the issues she deals with: women’s sexuality, teenage pregnancy, ingrained racism and prostitution, are contemporary. Despite this, it is a very good attempt to dramatise and portray the hypocrisy of social standards.”
From these observations we are able to see how the locally-based writers have treated issues affecting our society. The focus of the overseas-based writer was also Guyana – writing from afar; and nothing is wrong with writing from a distance, but the writings from within sort of bear more credence – this is one of our own; living within the very space we inhabit, and this is now he/she sees it.
Chaitram Singh, the overseas- based Guyanese, won in the Best First Book of Fiction category with his novel, “The Flour Convoy”.
What a pity it is difficult to get hold of these books. Now is the time for The Guyana Prize for Literature to add the publication of winning manuscripts and reprint of prizewinning books as part of the award package.
Until then, I will attempt to reproduce (with the author’s permission) samples of the prizewinning manuscripts and books.
Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com
What’s happening:
• The Guyana Annual 2012-2013 magazine is now available at Guyenterprise Ltd, at Austin’s bookstore and from the editor at the above contacts. This issue of the magazine is dedicated to E. R. Braithwaite. The magazine also features articles on copyright, law of intellectual property, creative industries, oral traditions of Guyana, the future of West Indian cricket and the future of books.
• Coming soon: “An Introduction to Guyanese Literature” by Petamber Persaud.
