THE W H I S T U N G R I WOI\/\EN WRFTERS s of the C A R I B B E A N f SRl R N Campbell’andiPierre‘tte-Priclflc\e‘y_‘_ AN UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH LIBRARY 31188 01572996 1 The Whistling Bird The Whistling Bird WOMEN WRITERS OF THE CARIBBEAN edited by Elaine Campbell Pierrette Frickey A THREE CONTINENTS BOOK% LYNNE RIENNER PUBLISHERS OOOOOOOOOOOOOO Ian Randle Publishers Kingston Published in the United States of America in 1998 by Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc. 1800 30th Street, Boulder, Colorado 80301 and in the United Kingdom by Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc. 3 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8LU Published in Jamaica in 1998 by Ian Randle Publishers 206 Old Hope Road, Box 686 Kingston 6 © 1998 by Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The whistling bird : women writers of the Caribbean / edited by Elaine Campbell and Pierrette Frickey. p. cm. ISBN 0-89410-409-8 (hc : alk. paper). — ISBN 0-89410-410-1 (pb : alk. paper) 1. Caribbean literature—Women authors. 1. Campbell, Elaine, 1932- . II. Frickey, Pierrette M. PN849.C32W45 1998 808.8'9287'09729—dc21 97-46089 CIP British Cataloguing in Publication Data A Cataloguing in Publication record for this book is available from the British Library. Jamaican Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the National Library of Jamaica. ISBN: 976-8123-51-6 paperback Typesetting by Letra Libre Printed and bound in the United States of America The paper used in this publication meets the requirements ©0) of the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48-1984. o ST Contents i Introduction, Elaine Campbell and Pierrette Frickey ANTIGUA Jamaica Kincaid Excerpt from The Autobiography of My Mother BARBADOS Esther Phillips “I Do Not Know My Father” 13 BELIZE Zee Edgell “Longtime Story” 15 CURACAO Nydia Ecury 29 “Song for Mother Earth,” “Kantika Pa Mama Tera” 30 “The Promise,” “Promesa” 32 “Old Lady,” “Habai” DOMINICA Phyllis Allfrey 35 “The Child’s Return” 36 “Love for an Island” 37 “Miss Garthside’s Greenhouse” Christabel LaRonde 41 “Smile Please” Gilda Nassief 43 “Caribman” 44 “Blacksister” “C’est juste une guépe” 44 45 “Maroussia” vi e~ Contents Jean Rhys 47 “The Whistling Bird” 51 Excerpt from Wide Sargasso Sea GRENADA Merle Collins o “Madelene” GUADELOUPE Maryse Condé g “Wayang Kulit” Simone Schwarz-Bart Excerpt from The Bridge of Beyond Vi GUYANA Beryl Gilroy Excerpt from Frangipani: House 83 Grace Nichols “Web of Kin” 89 “We the Women” 91 “These Islands” 92 HAITI Edwidge Danticat “Night Women” 3 JAMAICA Louise Bennett “Candy Seller” 97 “Bans O’Ooman!” Y9 Erna Brodber Excerpt from Myal 101 Michelle Cliff Excerpt from Abeng 107 Christine Craig “Burnt Hill” 117 Lorna Goodison “Mulatta Song” 127 “Missing the Mountains” 129 Una Marson Excerpt from Pocomania 131 “There Will Come a Time” 189 Contents ¢~ Vii Velma Pollard “Marine Turtle” 141 “Mule” 143 Olive Senior “Discerner of Hearts” 145 Carmen Tipling Lunchtime Revolution 169 MARTINIQUE Suzanne Dracius “Sweat, Sugar and Blood” 193 PUERTO RICO Ana Lydia Vega “Eye-Opener” 203 Esmeralda Santiago Excerpt from When I Was Puerto Rican 215 TRINIDAD Madeline Coopsammy “The Tick-Tick Bicycle” 2ol Merle Hodge “Inez” 239 Elizabeth Nunez Excerpt from Bruised Hibiscus 243 Jan Williams 259 “Arise, My Love” 265 About the Authors 275 About the Editors amfi#hfllm@fl " "'4 # amslliW flfl‘. . “\”f_‘ N ‘m* Wx