From the lingering effects of colonialism on the Caribbean to gardening, from AIDS to the flora of the Himalayas, Jamaica Kincaid's writing covers a breadth of topics unknown to many contemporary authors.
Tonight at 7:30 in Sayles Hall, Kincaid will read from her newest book along with material from currently ongoing work, according to Paget Henry, professor of Africana studies.
As the first speaker of Caribbean Heritage Week, Kincaid will set the tone for the week and encourage attendance at the remaining six events, said co-organizer Carey Turnquest '07.
"I think so many Brown students receive the commercial, industrial aspect of the Caribbean - the balmy beaches, the hot sun and palm trees," he said. "But in her writing, Ms. Kincaid portrays an unfettered, virgin experience of the Caribbean, one that an outsider may not experience. That perspective can only be seen ... through someone who has such an amazing command of language as Ms. Kincaid."
Kincaid, born on the island of Antigua as Elaine Potter Richardson, left her family at the age of 17 to work as an au pair in New York City. After several stints writing for small-scale magazines, she became a staff writer for the New Yorker in 1976. Her first piece of fiction was published in the same magazine two years later, and soon after became part of her first book, "At the Bottom of the River," in 1983.
In the following years Kincaid published prolifically, with works including "A Small Place" (1988), "Lucy" (1990), and most recently, "Among Flowers: A Walk in the Himalaya" (2005). She has won many awards for her fiction and non-fiction work, and last year was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Kincaid deals with such a variety of diverse issues that her writing appeals to a broad range of people, Henry said. "She deals with issues of colonialism, racism, gender - she also deals with problems of identity and psychological development," he said. "I think that is why she gets a lot of attention - she deals with these issues and she deals with them very well."
Though Kincaid has spoken at Brown before as a special guest of former President Vartan Gregorian, no speakers of her literary standing have participated in past Caribbean Heritage Weeks, Turnquest said. "This year she is the only (fiction) author, in an effort we made to ensure that we have a diverse range of disciplines represented," he said.
Students of Caribbean Ancestry and the Department of Africana Studies made a joint effort to bring Kincaid to campus. "Since I'm from Antigua and Ms. Kincaid is from Antigua, and I've known her since she was a little girl, I figured I had an in, so I approached her and she graciously agreed to come," Henry said.
Henry said Kincaid is an ideal figure to represent the Caribbean, its people, its past and its future. "(Kincaid) is in the tradition of great Caribbean writers," Henry said. "There is a great body of Caribbean writers that started in the '50s, and Jamaica is the last major flower in this trend."
