The Guyana Classics Library & The Caribbean Press

Feb 28, 2010 Features / Columnists, Guyanese Literature

– By Petamber Persaud

A nation that celebrates its literature is a nation on its way to realising its full potential. Guyana is not lacking in this respect. Down the ages, the custodians of Guyanese literature were mindful of its development.
There are many literary prizes attesting to such. Going back to the 1950s and 1960s, there was the Cheddi Jagan Gold Medal for Literature. According to Dr. Jagan, ‘the Guyanese writer has a major role to play in the rebuilding of our society…people engaged in the arts must see themselves as part of the development process’.
In 1987, Guyana was eventually blessed with an immensely important and substantial literary award, The Guyana Prize for Literature which was established by the then President of Guyana, Hugh Desmond Hoyte to ‘provide a focus for the recognition of the creative writing of Guyanese at home and abroad, and to stimulate interest in, and provide encouragement for, the development of good creative writing among Guyanese…’
But the prize is more than that as seen through the words of Mr. Hoyte when he made the original announcement of the prize on February 23, 1987, saying, ‘the encouragement of good writing has valuable spin-offs in society…it encourages clear thinking and clear expression…if success in solving problems is to be achieved’.
Apart from those two mentioned prizes (there were many others), there were other enabling factors like the flowering of literary magazines and journals, all of which have made significant contributions, but are now defunct save and except The Guyana Annual (started as the Chronicle Christmas Annual in 1915). Other factors enabling the establishment of a Guyanese literary heritage include the flowering of literary groups, discussion circles, the establishment of an arts council and publishing houses with a basis for Guyanese works.
Guyanese literature still in its formative years is in a relatively healthy state. This will be further enhanced with the establishment of an indigenous publishing house – The Caribbean Press, of which David Dabydeen is the general editor, Ian McDonald the consulting editor and Letizia Gramaglia the director of research.
The idea of The Caribbean Press surfaced during Guyana’s hosting of the highly successful Carifesta X in 2008. The idea was later fleshed out by President Bharrat Jagdeo and Professor David Dabydeen.
The idea is now manifested in the printing of the first twelve titles of (36 and counting) of The Guyana Classics Library which include ‘The Discovery of Guiana’ by Sir Walter Ralegh first published in 1595, ‘The Coolie, his right and wrongs’ by John Edward Jenkins, ‘Canoe and Camp Life in British Guiana by Charles Barrington Brown, ‘The Chinese in British Guiana’ by Sir Cecil Clementi, ‘The Asylum Journal’ by Robert Grieve and ‘Guianese Poetry: covering the hundred years’ period, 1831-1931’ by N. E. Cameron.
Each title comes with its own scholarly introduction and a series preface. The series preface is written by the President of Guyana, H. E. Bharrat Jagdeo and is instructive and informative, obviously giving an insight into the publication of The Guyana Classics Library.
This preface fittingly discusses the first book on Guyana, going on to give an outline of Guyanese Literature to present day.
The preface reveals that ‘The Guyana Classics Library will republish out-of-print poetry, novels and travelogues so as to remind us of our literary heritage, and it will also remind us of our reputation for scholarship in the fields of history, anthropology, sociology and politics, through the reprinting of seminal works in these subjects. The Series builds upon previous Guyanese endeavours, like the institution of Carifesta, and the Guyana Prize. I am delighted that my government has originated the project and has pledged that every library in the land will be furnished with titles from the Series, so that all Guyanese can appreciate our monumental achievement in moving from Exploitation to Expression…’
‘Moving from Exploitation to Expression’ is captured in this series of carefully selected books, a series of publications that would foster pride of place and would inspire further development in Guyanese Literature and further development of the state of Guyana.
Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@ yahoo.com

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