Sir Wilson’s creative imagination left an indelible mark on so many of us

Mar 22, 2018 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,
The sudden demise of Sir Wilson Harris is a great loss to the Caribbean, the literati here in Guyana, and the entire world of literary greats.
Sir Wilson Harris was the greatest poet, philosopher, fiction writer and literary scholar Guyana has produced. He was one of the Caribbean’s greatest intellects and a distinguished literary personality, whose creative imagination left an indelible mark on the English-speaking Caribbean and the Western Hemisphere.
He ranked among literary exponents like Derek Walcott, V. S. Naipaul, Ian McDonald, A. J. Seymour, Kamau Braithwaite, Salmon Rushdie, also the greater classical poets like Homer, Dante, Virgil, Shakespeare, Lucan, Kant, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.
Harris’ literary scholarship can be clearly seen in his work. He was widely read in every field of knowledge, I believe he was one of the most educated contemporary writers of our generation – like a Shakespeare reborn in the Caribbean but just lived in England because of a lack of literary exposure in Guyana and publishing houses in the Caribbean.
Many readers complained bitterly – also English and Literature teachers – that his books are very difficult to comprehend, and that has created problems in schools and universities around the world. They failed to comprehend Harris’ work because they lacked the literary aptitude to apprehend the great philosophy and poetic imageries in his work; that is because they haven’t read widely and they don’t have the spiritual foresight to understand his profound philosophy and metaphysical density in his work.
I became acquainted with Harris’ work when he won the Guyana Prize for Literature in 1987 and I believe he was a true winner of that award with his magnificent book ”The Carnival”. I also read many of his scattered poetry from the Kaie Journal, edited by A. J. Seymour.
I read many of his great books of fiction, poetry, and literary criticism from the National Library in Georgetown. His novels are like epic poetry. He takes you on a spiritual journey from the natural world, then into the spiritual world of dreams, visions and reincarnation. He has a lot of Biblical imageries in his poetry and lots of Eastern mysticism. Just like a flavoured pot of ”cook up rice,” he mixes his immense knowledge to take your breath away when reading a few lines drawn from things of nature and some classics, like imitating passages from Homer, Shakespeare, Dante and Virgil, mixed with German philosophy.
To read Harris’ work with that great love of it requires eyes within our soul to distinguish what he means. I wish to quote a passage of his work here to validate the message of this thesis. Taken from his book:” The Guyana Quartet Book One THE COVENANT from page 123:
”The stars shone faintly in the stream on a windy night and they penetrated a flying cloud. The lights shining far across the river were uncertain and distant, close to the ground and one with glimmering heaven. The shape of a cow loomed on the opposite bank, so enormous it blotted out the lights and invisible windows of the far scattered settlements.”
This paragraph shows the exquisite beauty and immense poetic imagery in the work of a great literary master – mastering his craft – who has an impeccable command of the English Language.
I wish to quote one of his intricate poems laced with Homeric and Biblical imagery to fascinate my readers from the Kaie Journal, December 1971, edited by A.J. Seymour, on page 25.
”Over the mountains and over the sea runs a black horse,
his hoof pounds the mountains and unsettles the sea.
His hoof grounds the mountains
Like the bones of the sea.
Like Death runs so swiftly, his black limbs
remember my very vain breath and my boast in the stars.
I mount him and I hold him with the sun for a saddle
and a bit made of stars.
I mount him and I hold him with my breath
turning silver like a bridle of stars.
Far up on the mountains and deep down in the sea
I ride my black horse up and down and far.”

That poem is very intricate to comprehend, laced with imageries depicting a black horse and himself on the horse. His deep images and symbolism makes the literary scholar cogitate deeply to comprehend his meaning like a next Shakespeare writing again for this world stage.
I traced the inspirations of that poem back to the Illiad of Homer about the Greek warrior Hector, the tamer of horses. Then again, he takes me further, to the Book of Revelation in the Bible, from Revelation Chapter 6 verses 2 and 5
“And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow, and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse, and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.”
Sir Wilson Harris produced a library of books and literary documents that will remain forever in our history and posterity. It is my sincere hope that our current Administration will endeavour to have a faculty of this great son of our soil after his name at the University of Guyana and a research centre at the University of Guyana, where his son the Hon. Nigel Harris is our current Chancellor.
A few lines from ”The Rubiayat of Omar Khayam” best describe this great literary legend of our soil.

”The moving finger writes; and having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a line,
Nor all thy tears wash out a word of it.”

He has been the recipient of several awards including the Guyana Prize for Literature (1987 and 2002), The Premio Mondello dei Cinque Continenti award (1992), The Ainsfeld-Wolf Book Award (2014) and honorary degrees from the University of the West Indies (1984) and University of Liege in Belgium (2001). In 2010, he was awarded the Honour of Knighthood for services to Literature by Queen Elizabeth II. He has been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature on more than one occasion.
It’s unfortunate he was robbed of the Nobel Prize in Literature which he rightfully deserves, but he now deserves a better place in heaven.
Yours faithfully,
Rev. Gideon Cecil (Author, Poet & Literary Critic)

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