In February of 2003 (see letter to the press – Stabroek News February 8, 2003) I made a call for ‘A Day of Guyanese Literature’ to be established and placed on our local calendar. Since then Guyanese Literature has blossomed into something significant enough to be elevated to any university academic programme.
On February 18, 2011, at the conclusion of Guyana’s first street book fair which I coordinated under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, I envisioned the City of Georgetown been named by UNESCO as a World Book Capital City. Each year, for World Book and Copyright Day, UNESCO would select a country as World Book Capital City.
I did not identify a date for the Day of Guyanese Literature but I am confident that it would fall during the month of September. Why? There are almost a dozen and a half Guyanese writers (in my book) who were born during the month of September. Also, one library was established during the month of September.
First, the institution, well, it came first: the National Library was opened on September 9, 1909 and it has become the repository of books by the writers to be named and it is the approved compiler of the National Bibliography recording the writings by the writers to be named.
The writers are, in no particular order, Stanley Niamatali, Stephanie Bowry, Jaime SuRu Mayers, Brian O’Toole, C. A. Yansen, Andaiye, Roopnandan Singh, Sharon Maas, Ruel Johnson, Anne Lyken-Garner, Jan Carew, Sheila King, Eric Huntley, Sasenarine Persaud, Alicia Budhram and Jack Bayley.
Stanley Niamatali
Niamatali, born in New Amsterdam, Berbice, won the Guyana Prize for Literature for his first book of poetry, ‘The Hinterlands’. His second book is ‘Mira and other Poems’.
Stephanie Bowry
Bowry is from Cumberland, Canje, Berbice. She is a performer, writer of poetry and short fiction. Bowry has so far self-published three volumes of her ‘True-true’ stories.
Jaime SuRu Mayers
SuRu is a poet and much sought after poetry performer.
Brian O’Toole
O’Toole is an educator and writer. He recently released the story of his life and work in Guyana in the book, ‘Educational Leadership: A Guyanese Perspective’
C. A. Yansen
Educator, columnist, broadcaster, Clement Aloysius Yansen gave his last breath to Creolese, dying a few days after editing the second edition of a remarkable book, ‘Random Remarks on Creolese’.
Andaiye
Born Sandra Williams, she was a rights activist and writer. A collection of her writings and speeches will be published posthumously under the title ‘The Point is to Change the World’.
Roopnandan Singh
Singh is a poet, writer of short fiction, novelist, anthologist and publisher. Singh was awarded a Special Prize by the Guyana Prize for Literature for his contribution to Guyanese Literature.
Sharon Maas
Maas is Guyana’s most prolific female novelist with more than ten books to her name. Her first published novel is ‘Of Marriageable Age’.
Ruel Johnson
Johnson has won the Guyana Prize for Literature on two occasions, both with short fiction collections, first in 2002 with ‘Ariadne and other Stories’ and in 2012 with ‘Fictions’.
Anne Lyken-Garner,
Lyken-Garner author and freelance writer. Her first novel is ‘Sunday’s Child’.
Jan Carew
Writer, educator, thinker, philosopher, diplomat and activist, Carew is better known for his novel, ‘Black Midas’. His other books include ‘The Wild Coast’, ‘Rape of Paradise’, ‘Moscow is not my Mecca’, ‘Ghosts in my Blood’, ‘Grenada, the Hour will Strike Again’ and ‘Fulcrums of Change’.
Sheila King
King was a poet, playwright and short story writer. Her publications include ‘Our Homes Spring Poetry’, ‘FOR BETTIN’ OR WORSE’, and ‘Guyanese Stories for Children Everywhere’.
Eric Huntley
Huntley is writer, publisher and co-founder of Bogle L’Ouverture Publications, a house that produced ‘Groundings with my brothers’ and ‘How Europe Undeveloped Africa’ both by Walter Rodney, among other books. Huntley’s most recent publication is ‘Come Lehwe Reason’.
Sasenarine Persaud
Persaud Persaud is the author of 14 books of prose and poetry including ‘Canada Geese and Apple Chatney’ – short fiction, ‘Dear Death’ and ‘The Ghost of Bellow’s Man’ – novels, ‘Between the Dash and the Comma’, ‘Demerara Telepathy’, ‘The Hungry Sailor’, ‘A writer like you’, ‘A Surf of Sparrows’ Songs’, ‘In a Boston Night’, ‘Lantana Strangling Ixora’ and ‘Love in – a Time of Technology’, ‘Monsoon on the Fingers of God’ – poetry. Persaud was shortlisted on numerous occasions for the Guyana Prize for Literature. He is the originator of the term ‘Yogic Realism’ – his literary aesthetics.
Alicia Budhram
Budhram recently launched her first collection of poetry, ‘Spontaneous Deluge’.
Jack Bayley
Bayley’s first and only novel is ‘The Mudheads’.
Oh, it is useful to know that I am posting some of these interesting facts about Guyanese Literature on the wall of my Face book page under the heading ‘Today in Literary History’, all by way of lobbying for a Day of Guyanese Literature.
Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com
