Frank Collymore was at the centre of the West Indian literary renaissance of the forties and fifties. He was a master of the short story, bringing together a mordant wit and a sympathetic understanding of human failings to tackle subjects ranging from the eccentric to the psychotic. This collection includes 'Shadows', a sombre depiction of alienation, a satirical dissection of social climbing in 'RSVP to Mrs Bush-Hall', and in 'The Snag' a young boy's growing pains are written about with gentle irony.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Collymore (1883-1980) was a highly influential figure in the West Indian literary renaissance of the 1940s and '50s. This first collection of his short fiction includes all 18 of his published stories. They are an oddly assorted lot, ranging from trick-ending horror stories reminiscent of Poe to charming tales of childhood. Collymore is fascinated by alienation; his characters are haunted by lost love and opportunity, despondent at the world's imperfections. What sets him apart from Poe is his particular sense of humor, best showcased in a lengthy tale of a social climbing ex-hooker who is bested by her prospective son-in-law, a poet and con man. This story crackles with keen social satire. The three tales of Mark, a little boy raised by his maiden aunts, show a sharp eye for detail and an understanding of the fears and victories of childhood. Too many of these stories, however, are penny dreadfuls of the sort that might have graced the pages of a pulp magazine in the '40s. As a result, the volume is primarily of historical interest, leavened a bit by Barrat's afterword placing Collymore in a larger literary context.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Born in Barbados in 1883, Collymore edited a literary magazine, Bim , which gave many West Indian writers an outlet for their work. This volume collects for the first time 18 short stories he himself wrote and published in Bim between 1942 and 1972. Dealing primarily with death and the dark side of the mind, these tales are often formulaic but excel in vivid descriptions and characterizations. Readers expecting a strong Caribbean voice will be disappointed, for that distinction emerged later in the prose and poetry of younger writers. Scholars will find this book an important source as they trace the awakening of West Indian literature; the editors' critical evaluation of Collymore's writing is also valuable. Recommended for scholarly collections.
- Joanne Snapp, Randolph- Macon Coll. , Ashland, Va.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Joanne Snapp, Randolph- Macon Coll. , Ashland, Va.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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