Review
"Caribbean authors come from a multicultural tradition, and this wide-ranging anthology collects 52 stories representing more than a century's worth of 'pan-american' short fiction. Although the various authors explore similar themes of history, race, social justice, identity and migration, they do so in diverse ways."--The Orlando Sentinel
"Brown's introduction and suggestions for further reading will particularly help newcomers, but the stories themselves most strongly recommend this anthology....After finishing these fifty-two stories, the reader will undoubtedly hunger for more....This testifies to the virtues of the collection, and to the richness of Caribbean literature. The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories should be read not only by those interested in Caribbean fiction, but by anyone who appreciates excellent writing..."--World Literature Today
"The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories is a must-have. This hugely entertaining anthology invites 52 writers from all across the Caribbean onto one stage and cleverly brings together their diverse languages, island experiences and cultures. The wide range of styles found throughout the... book subtly melds into a unified that communicates the issues of history, race, migration and identity unique to this region. This wonderful collection of writing from the last 100 years not only introduces well-known writers, ... but also brings to light the new generation....It is a body of work that's worth revisiting again and again, just like the Caribbean."--Caribbean Travel & Life
"The publication of The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short..., has filled a void on the shelves of Caribbean literature....These...selections may not be the usual, anthologized fare. Yet they all speak of the harsh beauty of life in the tropics these writers know and love so well."--Sky Writings-Air Jamaica "This has to be the definitive collection of Caribbean short stories. This is the one that shall be handed down from
From the Publisher
Praise for the Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories‘This is the Caribbean collection I have been waiting for. I simply don’t know any other way of holding so much of the region’s literary greatness in one hand. … the best anthology of Caribbean stories of all time, and if a better one appears some time in the future, it will be edited by Stewart Brown and John Wickham.’
Benjamin Zephaniah
‘This breathtakingly rich and diverse collection brings together language, cultures and island experiences from right across the Caribbean … excitingly juxtaposes migrant and home-based perspectives, the local and the global, the traditional and the experimental, as well as new and also well-known writers.’
Elleke Boehmer, University of Leeds
‘This generous and well informed selection is enriched by the inclusion of … fine pieces from major writers of the Spanish, French and Dutch Caribbean. The whole is a vibrant representation of one of the contemporary world’s most exciting cultural crossroads.’
Eddie Baugh,
University of the West Indies, Jamaica
‘[W]hat we have here is a stunning collection of writers representing almost every region that is touched by the Caribbean Sea, and what we experience as we read this collection is the truth that we have always suspected but never ventured to say; that some of the best writing to have appeared in this century has come from this archipelago of complex histories and diverse traditions.’
Kwame Dawes, University of South Carolina at Sumter
‘Wry humour, mysticism, social comment and racy invective interweave to create a memorable mosaic of images of the wider Caribbean in this original and engrossingly diverse collection of stories. … A hugely entertaining and informative collection, to visit and revisit.’
Dennis Walder, The Open University
‘The title gives no hint of the startling content and unique features of The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories. … a wonderfully varied but integrated flow of writing from, or about, the Caribbean, over almost a hundred years. … Brown’s brilliant, long introduction defends and explains his and Wickham’s selection and arrangement—and far, far more. … This jointly-edited anthology is skilfully prepared and seems appropriately pitched for general reader and student alike.’
Anne Walmsley, Caribbean arts researcher and writer, London
‘An important feature is its inclusion of authors from the French, Spanish and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, including Alejo Carpentier and René Depestre. The collection is framed by a stimulating introduction by Stewart Brown. Generous in its expanse, and imaginative in its selection, the book can serve as both introduction and consolidation to this vivid and varied literature.’
Louis James, University of Kent
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
