Jamaican literature is internationally renowned, with the island of

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

being the home or birthplace of many important authors. One of the most distinctive aspects of Jamaican literature is its use of the local

dialect A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...

— a variation of English, the country's official language. Known to Jamaicans as "

patois ''Patois'' (, same or ) is speech or language that is considered nonstandard, although the term is not formally defined in linguistics. As such, ''patois'' can refer to pidgins, creoles, dialects or vernaculars, but not commonly to jargon or sl ...

", and now sometimes described as " nation language", this creole has become an important element in Jamaican fiction, poetry and theater. Notable writers and intellectuals from elsewhere in the Caribbean region studied at the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 18 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, including St. Lucian

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

-winner,

Derek Walcott Sir Derek Alton Walcott OM (23 January 1930 – 17 March 2017) was a Saint Lucian poet and playwright. He received the 1992 Nobel Prize in Literature. His works include the Homeric epic poem '' Omeros'' (1990), which many critics view "as ...

, the late Guyanese historian and scholar

Walter Rodney Walter Anthony Rodney (23 March 1942 – 13 June 1980) was a Guyanese historian, political activist and academic. His notable works include '' How Europe Underdeveloped Africa'', first published in 1972. He was assassinated in Georgetown, ...

, and Grenadian poet and short story writer Merle Collins.

Folk beginnings

The tradition of storytelling in Jamaica is a long one, beginning with folktales told by the slaves during the colonial period. Jamaica's folk stories are most closely associated with those of the Ashanti tribe in

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

, from which many of the slaves originated. Some

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an tales were also brought to the island by immigrants, particularly those from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. In folktales, the local speech style is particularly necessary. It infuses humor into the stories, and is an integral part of the retelling. Perhaps the most popular character in Jamaican tales, Anancy (also spelled Anansi, 'Nancy Spida, and Brer Nansi) is an African spider-god who makes an appearance in tales throughout the Caribbean region. He is a trickster god, and in his stories he often goes against other animal-god characters, like Tiger and Donkey. These tales are thought to be one way the slaves told about outsmarting their owners as well.

Development of the literature

Jamaican Thomas MacDermot (1870–1933) is credited with fostering the creation of Jamaican literature. According to critic Michael Hughes, MacDermot was "probably the first Jamaican writer to assert the claim of the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

to a distinctive place within English-speaking culture,"Michael Hughes, ''A Companion to West Indian Literature'', Collins, 1979, p. 75. and his ''Becka's Buckra Baby'' as the beginning of modern Caribbean literature. Jamaican-born

Claude McKay Festus Claudius "Claude" McKay OJ (September 15, 1890See Wayne F. Cooper, ''Claude McKay, Rebel Sojourner In The Harlem Renaissance'' (New York, Schocken, 1987) p. 377 n. 19. As Cooper's authoritative biography explains, McKay's family predate ...

(1889–1948) is credited with inspiring

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

's Negritude (“Blackness”) movement, as well as being a founding father of the

Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African-American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics, and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the ti ...

. Having established himself as a poet in Jamaica, he moved to the U.S. in his 20s and proceeded to travel to France, but never returned to his birthplace. Una Marson (1905–1965) was well known for her poetry, as well as her activism as a feminist, and for her role as producer of the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

literary radio programme '' Caribbean Voices'' in the 1940s. Louise Bennett-Coverley (1919–2006) was a Jamaican poet and folklorist celebrated for her unique voice as "Miss Lou". Writing and performing her poems in Jamaican patois, Bennett was instrumental in having this "dialect" of the people given literary recognition in its own right (" nation language"). Other Jamaican writers who have gained international acclaim include Hazel Dorothy Campbell (1940–2018), Mikey Smith (1954–1983) and

Linton Kwesi Johnson Linton Kwesi Johnson Order of Distinction, OD (born 24 August 1952), also known as LKJ, is a Jamaica-born, British-based dub poetry, dub poet and activist. In 2002, he became the second living poet, and the only black one, to be published in th ...

. In 2014,

Mervyn Morris Mervyn Eustace Morris OM (born 21 February 1937) is a poet, writer, editor and professor emeritus at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. His poetry is well respected throughout the Caribbean, which has consistently ranked him amon ...

was appointed Poet Laureate of Jamaica. He was succeeded in 2017 by

Lorna Goodison Lorna Gaye Goodison (born 1 August 1947)Ring, Deborah A. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 11 September 2013. is a Jamaican poet, essayist and memoirist, a leading West Indian writer, whose career spans four decades. She is now Professor Emerita, English ...

Notable Jamaican writers

* Opal Palmer Adisa, writer, poet, performance artist * Lindsay Barrett, poet,

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

, journalist * Edward Baugh, poet and scholar * Louise Bennett-Coverley, poet, folklorist, actress, educator * James Berry, poet, anthologist * Eliot Bliss, novelist and poet * Jonathan Braham, novelist * Erna Brodber, novelist, poet * Margaret Cezair-Thompson * Colin Channer, novelist, short-story writer * Kwame Dawes, poet, critic * Jean D'Costa, novelist, scholar * Herbert de Lisser, journalist and author * Ferdinand Dennis, novelist, journalist and broadcaster * Nicole Dennis-Benn, novelist * Marcia Douglas, novelist, poet, performer *

Gloria Escoffery Gloria Escoffery OD (22 December 1923 – 24 April 2002) was a Jamaican painter, poet and art critic that contributed to post-colonial arts and culture during the mid-to-late 20th century. Biography Born in Gayle, Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica, ...

, painter, poet and art critic * Esther Figueroa, novelist, environmental activist, filmmaker * John Figueroa, poet, educator * Honor Ford-Smith, actress, playwright, scholar and poet * Ifeona Fulani, novelist, educator *

, poet * John Hearne, novelist, journalist and teacher * A. L. Hendriks, poet and critic *

Nalo Hopkinson Nalo Hopkinson (born 20 December 1960) is a Jamaican-born Canadian speculative fiction writer and editor. Her novels – ''Brown Girl in the Ring (novel), Brown Girl in the Ring'' (1998), ''Midnight Robber'' (2000), ''The Salt Roads'' (2003), ' ...

, science fiction writer * Marlon James, novelist * Evan Jones, poet, novelist *

, poet * Barbara Lalla, novelist, scholar * Thomas MacDermot, poet, novelist and editor *

Roger Mais Roger Mais OJ (; 11 August 1905 – 21 June 1955) was a Jamaican journalist, novelist, poet, and playwright. He was born to a middle-class family in Kingston, Jamaica. By 1951, he had won ten first prizes in West Indian literary competitio ...

, novelist * Rachel Manley, memoirist, poet * Una Marson, poet, playwright * Shara McCallum, poet, essayist * Diana McCaulay, novelist, short story writer, environmental activist *

, poet and novelist * Anthony McNeill, poet *Una Marson, poet, playwright, journalist * Kei Miller, poet * Pamela Mordecai, poet, novelist, short story writer *

, poet, scholar, essayist * Mutabaruka, poet * Rex Nettleford, scholar, social critic * Cyril Palmer, writer *

Orlando Patterson Horace Orlando Patterson (born 5 June 1940) is a Jamaican-American historian and sociologist known for his work on the history of race and slavery in the United States and Jamaica, as well as the sociology of development. He is currently the Jo ...

, historical and cultural sociologist * Geoffrey Philp, poet, novelist, playwright * Velma Pollard, poet, novelist, short story writer * Patricia Powell, novelist * Claudia Rankine, poet, playwright * V. S. Reid, novelist * Trevor Rhone, playwright and film maker * Leopold Anthony Richards, scholar, educator, author * Leone Ross, novelist, short story writer, journalist * Heather Royes, poet * Gillian Royes, novelist * Andrew Salkey, novelist, poet * Dennis Scott, poet, playwright * Olive Senior, poet, novelist, short story writer * Tanya Shirley, poet, scholar * M. G. Smith, poet * Mikey Smith, poet * Ralph Thompson, poet * Anthony C. Winkler, novelist * Sylvia Wynter, novelist, dramatist, critic, essayist * Kerry Young, novelist"Kerry Young"
Literature British Council.

References

External links

''Becka’s Buckra Baby''
from the Digital Library of the Caribbean (1904)
''One Brown Girl and - a Jamaica Story''
from the Digital Library of the Caribbean (1909) *Also in the ''All Jamaica Library'', but not written by Thomas MacDermot
''Maroon Medicine,''
by E. A. Dodd (listed as E. Snod) from the Digital Library of the Caribbean {{North American topic, , literature North American literature

Folk beginnings

Development of the literature

Notable Jamaican writers

See also

References

External links