Kenneth Ramchand (born 1939) is a

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

academic and writer, who is widely respected as "arguably the most prominent living critic of Caribbean fiction". He has written extensively on many West Indian authors, including V. S. Naipaul, Earl Lovelace and Sam Selvon, as well as editing several significant cultural publications. His seminal text, ''The West Indian Novel and Its Background'' (1970), had a transformational effect on the syllabus of 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 ...

(UWI) and the internationalization of West Indian literature as an academic discipline. Ramchand is

Professor Emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

of English at the

St. Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...

campus of UWI. Until his resignation in June 2009, he was associate provost at the

University of Trinidad and Tobago The University of Trinidad and Tobago, also known as UTT, is a state owned university in Trinidad and Tobago established in 2004. Its main campus, currently under construction, will be located at Wallerfield in Trinidad. Presently, its campuses ...

(UTT). He was for some years an independent Senator in the

Senate of Trinidad and Tobago The Senate of Trinidad and Tobago is the appointed upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago, along with the President and House of Representatives of Trinidad and Tobago. The Senate currently sits at the Red House. The Sena ...

. Ramchand is also an Emeritus Professor at

Colgate University Colgate University is a Private university, private college in Hamilton, New York, United States. The Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York ...

Hamilton, New York Hamilton is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Madison County, New York, Madison County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 6,379 at the 2020 census. The town is named after American Founding Father ...

Career

Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Ramchand holds an MA and PhD from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

, where he attended as a scholarship student (1959–63). His first book, ''The West Indian Novel and Its Background'', was published in 1970, and he has noted: "I wrote it at just the right time. It was influential in the creation and internationalization of an academic discipline called 'West Indian Literature'; it stimulated the development of graduate studies in the Department of English of the University of the West Indies; and it was seminal in the transformation of the syllabus of 'English' at the University of the West Indies." Ramchand was UWI's first Professor of West Indian Literature and he was Head of the Department of Liberal Arts at St. Augustine for several years."Professor Kenneth Ramchand, Chairman of UTT"
University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT). He has also been a Senior Fulbright Scholar affiliated to

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

and the

University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa (TU) is a Private university, private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Presbyterian Church, although it is now nondenominational, and the campus ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, a visiting professor at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

and

, as well as a Fellow of the

John Simon Guggenheim Foundation The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation is a private foundation formed in 1925 by Olga and Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died on April 26, 1922. The organization awards Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Gr ...

. In 2005, Ramchand was appointed chairman of the

(UTT), a position he held until 2009.

Awards

In 1996, Ramchand was awarded a Trinidad and Tobago

Chaconia Medal The Chaconia Medal (abbreviated C.M. or CM) is the second highest state decoration A state decoration is an object, such as a medal or the insignia of an Order (distinction), order, that is awarded by a sovereign state to honor the recipient. T ...

Gold for his work in Literature, Education and Culture. In 2012, the

National Library of Trinidad and Tobago The National Library and Information System of Trinidad and Tobago (known as NALIS) is a corporate body established by the NALIS Act No. 18 of 1998 to administer the development and coordination of library and information services in Trinidad and ...

honoured him with a NALIS Lifetime Literary Achievement Award. At the 2014

NGC Bocas Lit Fest The NGC Bocas Lit Fest is the Trinidad and Tobago literary festival that takes place annually during the last weekend of April in Port of Spain. Inaugurated in 2011, it is the first major literary festival in the southern Caribbean and largest lit ...

, Ramchand was honoured alongside Professor

Gordon Rohlehr Gordon Rohlehr (20 February 1942 – 29 January 2023) was a Guyana-born scholar and critic of West Indian literature, noted for his study of popular culture in the Caribbean, including oral poetry, calypso and cricket. He pioneered the academic ...

with the Bocas Henry Swanzy Award for Distinguished Service to Caribbean Letters, which recognises the lifetime achievement of editors, publishers, critics and broadcasters.Michelle Loubon
"Enjoying every word"
''Trinidad Express Newspapers'', 21 March 2014.

Bibliography

* ''West Indian Narrative: an Introductory Anthology'' (editor). London: Nelson, 1966. * ''The West Indian Novel and its Background''. London: Faber, 1970. * ''An Introduction to the Study of West Indian Literature''. Sunbury-on-Thames: Nelson Caribbean, 1976. * ''West Indian Poetry: An Anthology for Schools'' (editor). London: Longman, 1989. * ''Act of Possession: the New World of West Indian Writing''. Port of Spain: Bank of Trinidad and Tobago, 1991.

Awards

* 1987:

BWIA BWIA West Indies Airways Limited, known locally as "Bee-Wee" and previously as British West Indian Airways and BWIA International Airways, was the flag carrier of Trinidad and Tobago. At the end of operations, BWIA was the largest airline operat ...

Excellence in Journalism award * 1996: Trinidad and Tobago Chaconia Medal Gold (for Literature, Education, and Culture) * 2014: Bocas Henry Swanzy Award

References

External links

* Hannah McGurk
"Kenneth Ramchand"
''UncoverED'', The University of Edinburgh, 6 February 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2024. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ramchand, Kenneth 1939 births Academic staff of the University of the West Indies Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Living people Trinidad and Tobago male non-fiction writers Members of the Senate (Trinidad and Tobago) Recipients of the Chaconia Medal Scholars of Caribbean literature Trinidad and Tobago academics Trinidad and Tobago non-fiction writers Trinidad and Tobago people of Indian descent