"Caribbean writers are facing a dilemma. The region is blessed with numerous poets and novelists whose work has thrilled readers over the years.
But if you speak to many booklovers in and outside of the Caribbean, or check out some online message boards where the topic of discussion is Caribbean literature, you’ll find people bewailing how difficult it is to find good books by Caribbean writers, whether it’s in the region itself or in the metropolitan markets."
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4 comments:
I find that I don't read as much as I used to ... unless it is via a book on tape. However, if I was to begin a journey into Caribbean literature --- where do you suggest that I start?
peace, Villager
Villager, Greetings!
It depends...Some time ago, I did a poll to come up with the "Top Ten Novels in Caribbean Literature," but as one of my regular readers pointed out, many of the writers on the list were born between 1930 and 1945.
If I were pressed to name my top three Caribbean books by writers born after 1945, I'd say off the top of my head (and I am now wading deep into trouble)
Edwidge Danticat,The Dew Breaker
Junot Diaz, Drown
Colin Channer, Waiting in Vain
Marlon James, Book of the Night Women
Kwame Dawes, She's Gone
Not a bad start I would think.
There are lots of Caribbean novels I'd love to read but (perhaps due to simple laws of economics) they're so much more expensive than regular US books, as much as $13-15 for a paperback vs regular $7-9
Frugal, that is also one of the issues--many of the books are published in the UK and the pound to dollar xchange rate also raises the price.
But I still buy the books--not only because these writers are good storytellers, but without the rest of us buying and supporting these writers, then we are caught in a circular trap of publishers who say it's not worth publishing a writer because no one will buy his/her books...
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