Written In The Sands

In keeping with my purpose of creating a platform to display the talent, culture and beauty of Trinidad and Tobago it would be amiss of me to not delve into the world of Caribbean literature. Caribbean authors offer readers unique insight into culture, dialect, issues and so many important topics that Caribbean people can relate to, on a level like no other.

With the help of Rayne Affonso (@rayningbooks on IG) I was able to get some insight and particularly remarkable reviews of a few works of literature written by Trinbagonian authors. This post will serve more as a reading list than a list of authors themselves. So stick around and maybe (and I highly recommend) pick up one of these novels after!

A House For Mr. Biswas- Sir V.S. Naipaul

Now we can't talk about Trini Literature without mentioning one of the most renowned and controversial writers of the region, Sir V. S. Naipaul. As @rayningbooks puts it "V.S. Naipaul is the perfect example of a highly problematic literary genius". While many of his novels depict life one the islands as barbaric uncivilized he is still regarded as one of the most important reads and literary figures worldwide. He even won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2001. As for his books, this list is extensive and spans over 30 fiction and non-fiction works but one of his most notable is A House For Mr. Biswas.

A House for Mr. Biswas- V.S. Naipaul
(photocreds: @rayningbooks)

Like Heaven- Niala Maharaj

Relatively new compared to some other well-known Trinidadian authors, Niala Maharaj entered as an exciting new voice for fiction. Her book "Like Heaven" follows an Indo-Trinidadian man named Ved Saran as he single-handedly grows his family's business to one of the largest in the country. The story develops as he is to commit to an arranged marriage with a women who despises everything he stand's for.

Check out @rayningbooks for a full summary of this Novel.

Like Heaven- Niala Maharaj
(photocreds: @rayningbooks)

All Decent Animals- Oonya Kempadoo

Okay so in all honesty, Oonya Kempadoo is not of Trinidadian decent but the novel "All Decent Animals" is beautifully set in Trinidad and Tobago. The book follows a woman, Ata, who works in Carnival design in a 'Mas Camp' run by a man name Slinger whose character is based on Peter Minshall. Kempadoo manages to excellently describe the scenes of steel pan, jouvert, folklore, Carnival and the overall scenery in a way that is "beautifully vibrant and lyrical". This novel addressed a myriad of social issues within Trinidad like crime among the Indo-Trinidadian community, bureaucracy, remnants of colonialism, religious fluidity and prejudice

If this book caught your attention check out @rayningbooks for a full summary.