Dr Dabydeen defends management of Caribbean Press – says Ruel Johnson, other local writers lazy

Guyanese writer and poet Dr David Dabydeen has defended his management of the Caribbean Press, while labelling some Guyanese writers as lazy and declaring that doggerel or ‘puppyrel’ would not be published at the facility.
Dabydeen, who is also Guyana’s ambassador to China, made the comments in a letter in response to local writer Ruel Johnson who has been challenging him on a number of issues regarding the functioning of the press. Dabydeen also flayed Johnson personally, calling him lazy and mentioning that he had gone as far as purchasing a laptop computer and securing a UNESCO job for the young writer.

He asserted that the press will not publish lazy and incompetent work.
“Unfortunately, Guyana at present only has a small handful of consistent writers of quality (I am thinking of creative writers like Rupert Roopnaraine and Paloma Mohammed). Hence in the 25 years of the Guyana Prize, only one resident Guyanese has ever won the Fiction Prize, and only two the First Book of Fiction. One resident Guyanese won the First Book of Poetry prize”.
He referred to Johnson’s comments about the press’s closeness to Freedom House, but noted that it will be publishing the parliamentary speeches of all of Guyana’s presidents. He also debunked claims by Johnson that the press has not published Martin Carter.
“And why has Mr Johnson not submitted anything to the press for consideration, though I have asked him many times? Is it because, deep down, he knows he has not written anything of quality for many years? Has any other Caribbean or Guyanese press published his work? Although I found his dismissal of Wilson Harris to be arrogant and silly…,” Dabydeen wrote.
Poor writers
He said most of the submissions that went to him are not writing, but typing.”
It was a real struggle getting sufficient poetry for the forthcoming Anthology of Contemporary Guyanese Poetry (resident Guyanese), and in the end the press had to go on the basis of promise rather than achievement. Fortunately, two, perhaps three, of the poets were good, so their work will carry the anthology.”
He said instead of making an effort to learn how to write (for example,  by reading, and re-reading distinguished writers like Mittelholzer, Martin Carter, Sir Wilson Harris, and so many others), most of the Guyanese would-be or self-styled writers  he has encountered have read little.
He said to make books available free of cost to the people of Guyana, especially the young, the press has reprinted the work of Mittelholzer, Wilson Harris, Denis Williams, Jan Carew, and others. He said of the 60 titles published or about to be published so far, an increasing number is by winners of the Guyana Prize (Elly Niland, Maggie Harris, Mark McWatt, Ian McDonald, Cyril Dabydeen, David Dabydeen, Fred D’Aguiar) or by writers like Sasenaraine Persaud who have been shortlisted on every occasion for the Guyana Prize.
“They are in the ‘Classics’ series because they are modern classics (eg, Penguin and other presses have modern classics). The quality of the Caribbean Press speaks for itself: dozens of international scholars published, and some of the best creative writers produced by Guyana.
“That I have longstanding friendships with almost all the living writers (two of whom, happily, are family and Guyana prize-winners) has helped to get their permission to re-publish their works. Almost all the writers waive royalties and agree for 400 copies of their books to be given freely to Guyana’s libraries, an act of charity and a concern for the young readers in Guyana. Some have even put their work on the press’s website for free downloading: www.caribbeanpress.org. So, again, Ruel Johnson is being devious in accusations of bias.”
Dabydeen also spoke about the furore created by Johnson over the press publication of a book written by the daughter of Culture Minister, Dr Frank Anthony. He said Ashley Anthony showed such promise as well as true quality and he hopes other children, reading it, will be inspired to write.