The Oxford Book Of Caribbean Short Stories: Reissue (Oxford Books of Prose) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0192802291 ISBN 13: 9780192802293

Publisher: Oxford University Press, U.S.A., 2001

Synopsis

Some of the freshest, most vital, and diverse new literature written in the twentieth century has emerged from the Caribbean. And central to Caribbean literature is the short story, with its ties with the oral tradition. Now, The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories, edited by Stewart Brown and John Wickham, brings together fifty-two stories in a major anthology representing over a century's worth of pan-Caribbean short fiction. This breathtaking collection is unique-and indispensable-in its inclusion of authors from the English, French, Spanish, and Dutch-speaking Caribbean. The distinctly Anglophone viewpoint of such prominent authors as, Jean Rhys, Sam Sevlon, V.S. Naipual, and E.A. Markham is richly contrasted by contributions from French, Spanish, and Dutch writers like Alejo Carpentier, Ren� Depestre, and Thea Doelwijt, while the new generation-represented by such writers as Edwidge Danticat and Patrick Chamoiseau-points the way forward for Caribbean writing into the twenty-first century. With his stimulating introduction, Brown provides an up-to-date overview of Caribbean writing. Exploring the literature's themes of history, race, social justice, identity, and migration, he traces its evolution from the gritty naturalism of the Anglophone tradition to the magical realism of the French and Spanish traditions to a body of contemporary pan-Caribbean literature that cannot be contained in any convenient linguistic, geographical, or thematic definition. Charting the shifting ideologies and styles of this century-from the flamboyant wit of Samuel Selvon to the deceptive simplicity of Jamaica Kincaid-The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories delivers a wealth of satisfactions in a single volume with unprecedented range.

About this title

Review:

Review from previous edition 'Part of what distinguishes the Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories from the Penguin anthology of 1996 is the fact that it contains more stories which were created will away from this anglophone turf...It is a measure of the collective talent of these writers, and of the editors' judiciousness, that the book's egalitarian, inclusive aim does not diminish the quality of its contents. For the most part, both students and the general rfeader will find an array of gelaming starting points for further exploration.' (Bill Broun, TLS)

From the Publisher:

Praise for the Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories
‘This is the Caribbean collection I have been waiting for. I simply don’t know any other way of holding so much of the region’s literary greatness in one hand. ... the best anthology of Caribbean stories of all time, and if a better one appears some time in the future, it will be edited by Stewart Brown and John Wickham.’

Benjamin Zephaniah

‘This breathtakingly rich and diverse collection brings together language, cultures and island experiences from right across the Caribbean ... excitingly juxtaposes migrant and home-based perspectives, the local and the global, the traditional and the experimental, as well as new and also well-known writers.’

Elleke Boehmer, University of Leeds

‘This generous and well informed selection is enriched by the inclusion of ... fine pieces from major writers of the Spanish, French and Dutch Caribbean. The whole is a vibrant representation of one of the contemporary world’s most exciting cultural crossroads.’

Eddie Baugh,

University of the West Indies, Jamaica

‘[W]hat we have here is a stunning collection of writers representing almost every region that is touched by the Caribbean Sea, and what we experience as we read this collection is the truth that we have always suspected but never ventured to say; that some of the best writing to have appeared in this century has come from this archipelago of complex histories and diverse traditions.’

Kwame Dawes, University of South Carolina at Sumter

‘Wry humour, mysticism, social comment and racy invective interweave to create a memorable mosaic of images of the wider Caribbean in this original and engrossingly diverse collection of stories. ... A hugely entertaining and informative collection, to visit and revisit.’

Dennis Walder, The Open University

‘The title gives no hint of the startling content and unique features of The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories. ... a wonderfully varied but integrated flow of writing from, or about, the Caribbean, over almost a hundred years. ... Brown’s brilliant, long introduction defends and explains his and Wickham’s selection and arrangement—and far, far more. ... This jointly-edited anthology is skilfully prepared and seems appropriately pitched for general reader and student alike.’

Anne Walmsley, Caribbean arts researcher and writer, London

‘An important feature is its inclusion of authors from the French, Spanish and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, including Alejo Carpentier and René Depestre. The collection is framed by a stimulating introduction by Stewart Brown. Generous in its expanse, and imaginative in its selection, the book can serve as both introduction and consolidation to this vivid and varied literature.’

Louis James, University of Kent

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press, U.S.A.
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0192802291
• ISBN 13: 9780192802293
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 476
• Editor: Brown Stewart