Literature of the Caribbean

The Caribbean is an exotic yet not too distant land, full of rich cultural traditions. It is also a land of economic, political, and social concerns, and many American students have ties to the area. Literary works by Caribbean writers reflect the cultural issues and interests of the region. This book helps students use Caribbean literature to learn about the area and its people. Included are chapters on roughly a dozen contemporary Caribbean writers. Each chapter begins with a biography and critical assessment of a writer. This is followed by an analysis of one or more of the writer's works. Along with plot summaries, these sections discuss major themes and give close attention to how Caribbean culture figures in the writer's texts. To help students conduct further research, each chapter cites works for further reading.