Celebrating our Literary Ancestors

Dec 28, 2008 Features / Columnists, Guyanese Literature

by Petamber Persaud

On Wednesday December 17, 2008, the National Art Gallery, Castellani House, organised a tribute to Martin Carter to celebrate the life and work of this significant Guyanese literary giant. The programme was moderated by Elfrieda Bissember with Al Creighton making introductory remarks. Creighton laid the foundation of the evening proceeding in a presentation asking the question ‘why’ year after year we do this seemingly same thing over and over again.

The answers were many including the bludgeoning scholarship on the work of the writer, the frequent quoting of his poetry from Parliament to the sugar plantation, his influence on established and emerging writers, and works by other artists using Carter’s writing as points of departure.

Other presentations were done by Vanda Radzik (who explored the importance of the conjunction, ‘and’, in the life and work of Carter), Alim Hosen (who read a Carter’s short story), Grace Chapman (who captivated the audience with her dramatisation of ‘I Come from the Nigger Yard’), Ian McDonald, Petamber Persaud and aptly closing the evening was Carter’s genealogy – a granddaughter, Maria, who read ‘For my Son’ poem and then the son, Keith, followed, prefacing his presentation with an anecdote of his attempt to write poetry and his father’s response.

During the evening we were exhorted to spare a thought for our literary ancestors especially those who passed away in December. Those include R. Lal Singh who died on December 1, Singh was born in 1905 in Morawhana, apart from his writing on Amerindian themes, he was technical adviser to the filming of W. H. Hudson’s ‘GREEN MANSIONS’, one of the first novels written on Guyana; Henry Josiah who died on December 23 will be remembered for his book, ‘Tales of Makonaima’s Children’, he is immortalised in The Guyana Annual magazine via the Henry Josiah Writing Short Story for Children Competition; and A. J. Seymour who passed away on December 25 was a poet, literary critic, radio programmer/broadcaster, anthologist, ‘nativist publisher’ and cultural historian whose bibliography compiled over thirty years ago ran into 100 pages.

Martin Carter was born on June 7, 1927, in Georgetown, British Guiana. He died at his home in Lamaha Street, Georgetown, Guyana, on December 13, 1997, amidst political turmoil.

Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: [email protected]

What’s happening:
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• Just received, ‘Roll Over’, a novel by Malcolm Alves via suitcase of mutual acquaintance and awaiting ‘Caribbean Visionary –
A. R. F. Webber and the Making of the Guyanese Nation’ by Selwyn R. Cudjoe.

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