#Caribbean Literature

[queerlitaroundtheworld]

9 Queer Books from the Caribbean

Tentacle by Rita Indiana (Dominican Republic)

In Another Place, Not Here (Grenada)

Frigid Tales by Pedro de Jesús (Cuba)

Sirena Selena by Mayra Santos-Febres (Puerto Rico)

Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn (Jamaica)

Sweethand by N.G. Peltier (Trinidad and Tobago)

If I Had the Wings by Helen Klonaris (Bahamas)

My Brother by Jamaica Kincaid (Antigua and Barbuda)

Our Caribbean: A Gathering of Lesbian and Gay Writing from the Antilles

[gennsoup]

Not every boredom is the same, but what kind of living is this where she can tell the many boredoms apart?

Marlon James, Moon Witch, Spider King

[thebluesthour]

Marie-Célie Agnant, The Book of Emma, tr. Zilpha Ellis

[lionofchaeronea]

Current reading is Derek Walcott's Omeros, a stunning book-length poem in which Walcott translates the Trojan War myth cycle to the contemporary Caribbean and his home island of St. Lucia. I've read many, many "reimaginings" of the classics, in nearly every conceivable period and geographic setting, and this may be the finest of them all.

[veronicaphoenix]

Dionne Brand, A Map to the Door of No Return: Notes to Belonging (2001)

[drkarenlord]

‘Dr. Karen Lord is one of our greatest, and in her latest novel, The Blue Beautiful World,she shows us exactly why that is. Dr. Lord is looking at the big picture here. This is not simply a cli-fi book, it is not simply a first contact story, nor is it just a space opera. It is all of these things, it is so much more than these things. We follow Owen, a mega popstar with an uncanny ability to draw a crowd and make people fall in love with him—he is described as being the “hometown hero” of every city, because he sings in every language and appears to be everywhere at once. What exactly happens during his shows is anyone’s guess, but he seems to have the world in his hands, as if by some ultra-human force. Owen and his team find themselves at the center of intergalactic attention, and Owen’s abilities might be the key to helping humanity. The Blue, Beautiful World is tied to others in Dr. Lord’s Cygnus Beta but stands alone brilliantly, with fully fleshed-out characters that you’ll become more and more invested in as the story unravels—the story zooms out to galaxy level and deals heavily with A.I. and cutting-edge technology, but its cornerstone is the relationships between characters and their individual growth throughout. In the way that all great speculative fiction is, it is a story about what makes us human, and how the connections we form with each other are vital to our survival, and it’s told in the most exquisite prose.’

Lovely preview from Christina Orlando for The Blue, Beautiful World!

[forgedfromlove]

"Ma’s land was to us an enchanted country, dipping into valley after valley, hills thickly covered with every conceivable kind of foliage, cool green darknesses, sudden little streams that must surely have been squabbling past in the days when Brar Anancy and Brar Leopard and all the others roamed the earth outsmarting each other. And every now and then we would lose sight of the sea and then it would come into sight again down between trees when you least expected to see it, and always, it seemed, in a different direction; that was frightening too. We went out with Ma to pick fruit, she armed with a cutlass with which she hacked away thick vines and annihilated whole bushes in one swing. We returned with our baskets full of oranges, mangoes, chennettes, Ma bent under a bunch of plantains that was more than half her size.

Ma had a spot in the market on Sunday mornings, and she spent a great part of the week stewing cashews, pommes-cythéres, cerises, making guava-cheese and guava jelly, sugar-cake, nut-cake, bennay-balls, toolum, shaddock-peel candy, chilibibi…"

-from Crick Crack, Monkey by Merle Hodge

[scribbling-sage]

BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) "Life Goes On"

"Life Goes On," a song by the globally loved South Korean boy band BTS, serves as a touching reflection to the universal mayhem that was brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Released as the lead single for their album BE on November 20, 2020, the soundtrack encapsulates the themes of resilience, hope, and continuity amidst the then uncommon and unorthodox challenges.

Listening to “Life Goes On” for the first time I remember made me feel like being wrapped in worm comforting hug during the cold and lonely days of the COVID-19 pandemic. As I listened, I was aware of the times when life felt overwhelming, yet somehow, I found the strength to keep moving forward despite my inner turmoil. I think the song is the perfect anthem for those facing adversity and life’s challenges. It’s a beautiful reminder that no matter what challenges we may face in life it still continues, and we have the power to overcome. The song's comforting message and emotional delivery provided and continue to provide a much-needed sense of hope and reassurance, making it a truly memorable and impactful listening experience for me and all who will give it a listen.

Musically, "Life Goes On" is a step away from the usually high-energy beats typically produced by BTS. Instead, they opted for a more subdued, acoustic sound that complements the deep emotional lyrics. The gentle strumming of the guitar and the soft piano melodies creates a soothing backdrop that enhances the song's comforting message. The production, depicted by its simplicity and warmth, allows the vocal and rap lines of each member to shine through with full emotional weight.

Lyrically, "Life Goes On" addresses the sense of abrupt halt and disorientation that many including myself felt during the pandemic. Lines such as "One day the world stopped” and “Without any warning" perfectly captures the suddenness with which normalcy came to a halt. The song then progresses to offer encouragement with a sense of relatability, with the repeated lyrics "Life goes on" serving as a mantra for perseverance and hope. The lyrics were beautifully written in a way that only BTS could create, one that speaks directly to its listener, creating a sense of shared experience, familiarity and hope.

The accompanying music video further amplifies the song's themes. Directed by BTS “maknae” member Jeon Jungkook, the video combined scenes of the members in the comfort of their home with footages of empty streets and deserted cities. This visual narrative reinforces the song's message of finding solace and continuity in the familiar and normally dull aspects of daily life, even when the outside world seems to have been put on pause.

Critically, "Life Goes On" has been praised for its authenticity and relatability. Reviewers and ARMY worldwide have highlighted how the band deviated from the more commercial pop trends to deliver something deeply personal and relevant to the time. The track's ability to resonate with a global audience, despite being sang in Korean and completely produced in South Korea, speaks to the universal nature of its message.

In conclusion, "Life Goes On" is a testament to BTS's ability to capture the essence of a moment through their music. It offers a gentle reminder of the strength of the human spirit and heart and the importance of holding onto hope together.

Work Cited

BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan). “Life Goes On.” Big Hit Entertainment, South Korea , 20 Nov. 2020.

“[Eng] ‘closing Press Q&A’ BTS (방탄소년단) Be ‘Life Goes on’ Bts Global Press Conference 글로�� 기자간담회.” YouTube, YouTube, 20 Nov. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=uexBZm0nZ-8.

[bookishnotes]

[quotation--marks]

Many nights he went there before he get to know how to move around the city, and see them fellars and girls waiting, looking at they wristwatch, watching the people coming up the escalator from the tube. You could tell that they waiting for somebody, the way how they getting on. Leaning up there, reading the Evening News, or smoking a cigarette, or walking round the circle looking at clothes in the glasscase, and every time people come up the escalator, they watching to see, and if the person not there, they relaxing to wait till the next tube come. All these people there, standing up waiting for somebody. And then you would see a sharp piece of skin come up the escalator, in a sharp coat, and she give the ticket collector she ticket and look around, and same time the fellar who waiting throw away his cigarette and you could see a happy look in his face, and the girl come and hold his arm and laugh, and he look at his wristwatch. Then the two of them walk up the steps and gone to the Circus, gone somewhere, to the theatre, or the cinema, or just to walk around and watch the big life in the Circus.

Sam Selvon, The Lonely Londoners

[grandhotelabyss]

I know you're not a specialist in Latin America, but you are a specialist in literature, so: what and who would you say are the essential books and authors of Latin(/Central & South) America (& the Caribbean). Be as broad and over-inclusive as you like — or if you prefer, as specific, as creme-de-la-creme as you like. But I want the Pistelli crib sheet.

(You may have already written about this lol; if so, feel free to direct me to that).

The specialist in Latin America may be annoyed with what I'm about to say because said specialist will know the literatures of Latin America in granular detail, but the writers who have been the biggest influences on English-speaking literature are Jorge Luis Borges (read Labyrinths), Gabriel García Márquez (read One Hundred Years of Solitude), and Roberto Bolaño (read 2666). From the Lusophone quarter, the influence of Machado de Assis (read The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas) and Clarice Lispector (read The Hour of the Star) has been growing in English-language letters more recently. I've suggested that Valeria Luiselli's Mexican-American Lost Children Archive is among the best novels of the 2010s; Luiselli often alludes to Juan Rulfo's Pedro Páramo, said to be the greatest Mexican novel, also a favorite of Susan Sontag's. Everything I've written about Latin American literature, mostly focused on authors not mentioned above, can be found here. There are important authors I still need to read, especially Mario Vargas Llosa. Now when it comes to the Caribbean, I'm even less of an expert, but I can't not recommend Derek Walcott's epic Omeros, one of the great English-language poems of the 20th century.

[venusintheblindspots-blog]

“Your rape is your fault too. After a while you realize you’re shaking not from fear, but from fury.”

- A Brief History of Seven Killings, Marlon James

[gennsoup]

Something to fight for, or nothing to lose, which makes you a finer warrior? I have no answer.

Marlon James, Black Leopard, Red Wolf

[lyra-azalea]

“In every human being there is a blessed soul made miserable by the pursuit of happiness. All those who pray demand favor from God. But He’s tired of it all and He gets His revenge by botching His work. We are merely the rough drafts Nature cynically employs in its quest for Perfection. Tormented creatures, a frightful mixture of the monstrous and divine, thrown pell-mell into an inhospitable world to wait for death! What choice do we have? But love must protect me from myself. I am afraid of finding myself alone with all this hatred. What would happen to me if I looked it straight in the face, if I gave in to it?”

Marie Vieux-Chauvet, Love, Anger, Madness: A Haitian Triptych, "Love". Translated by Val Vinokur and Rose-Myriam Réjouis

[virgoqueenvibes]

Things My Grandmother Taught Me https://a.co/d/5TOJ9oP

Still proud of getting this done. Follow your spirit.

[caribbeanart]

Themes in Contemporary Caribbean Art

This blog is mainly focused on art before the 1980s but if you're interested in exploring themes in contemporary Caribbean art this article by Tatiana Flores (available in English and Spanish) looking at the theme of water is a great place to start.

This idea of water as something so essential for all life and the interconnectivity it represents of both living and non-living things (like water itself) is exemplified here by the hydrocommons, a term that looks to connect environmental movements with historical inequalities and the reclaiming of ancestral memory among other things; exploring how the arts can help us reimagine newer, more sustainable relationships with ourselves, other living beings and our natural environment (with a strong interest in performance, as a historically undervalued art form).

You do have to subscribe to their newsletter in order to access this article, a great resource if you're interested in larger contemporary trends across Latin America and the Caribbean. But rest assured, you can always unsubscribe if it's not what you're looking for.

(See also: Key Themes in Caribbean Art)