Selvon, Samuel Dickson

Selvon, Samuel Dickson
▪ 1995

      Trinidadian-born Canadian author (b. May 20, 1923, Trinidad—d. April 16, 1994, Trinidad), was an important West Indian writer who, with V.S. Naipaul, was in the vanguard of the Caribbean literary renaissance in London during the 1950s; he was best remembered for the 1956 classic novel The Lonely Londoners, a picaresque account of the initial exhilaration and excitement experienced by black West Indians living in post-World War II London tempered by discrimination, poverty, and a sense of exile. After serving (1940-45) in the Royal Navy Reserve as a wireless operator on patrol boats in the Caribbean Sea, Selvon worked as a reporter with the Trinidad Guardian newspaper while establishing a reputation as a gifted short-story writer. After moving to London (1950) he published his first book, A Brighter Sun (1952), which explored racial tensions between black Africans and Indians living in the West Indies. Selvon established a rich oral tradition in novels featuring painstaking attention to dialect, one of the hallmarks of his writing style. He was also praised for his vivid, if not ribald, descriptiveness and his colourful accounts of local life. His other important works include the short-story collection Ways of Sunlight (1957) and such novels as I Hear Thunder (1963), The Housing Lark (1965), Moses Ascending (1975), and Moses Migrating (1983). The latter two novels were sequels to The Lonely Londoners. In 1978 Selvon adopted Canada as his home, but he traveled to Trinidad in early 1994 to promote a reprinting of one of his books.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Selvon, Samuel — ▪ Caribbean author in full  Samuel Dickson Selvon   born May 20, 1923, Trinidad died April 16, 1994, Port of Spain       Caribbean novelist and short story writer of East Indian descent, known for his vivid evocation of the life of East Indians… …   Universalium

  • Selvon —   [ selvən], Samuel Dickson, trinidad. Schriftsteller, * Süd Trinidad 20. 5. 1923; Journalist, seit 1954 freier Schriftsteller; lebte ab 1950 in England, seit 1978 in Kanada. In seinen Romanen, deren Protagonisten humorvolle Lebensweisheit als… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Orders, decorations, and medals of Trinidad and Tobago — The National Awards of Trinidad and Tobago consist of: The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago the country s highest award. The Chaconia Medal of the Order of the Trinity in Gold, Silver or Bronze The Humming Bird Medal of the Order of… …   Wikipedia

  • 1956 in literature — The year 1956 in literature involved some significant events and new books.Events* Writing under the pseudonym of Emile Ajar , author Romain Gary becomes the only person ever to win the Prix Goncourt twice. *Iris Murdoch marries John Bayley.… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”