Sam Selvon's Dialectal Style and Fictional Strategy

Sam Selvon, a contemporary writer of major importance, is well known to British and Caribbean readers, but his work -- including ten novels -- has not attained the prominence it deserves internationally. This study is a literary analysis of Selvon’s use of Trinidad Creole English as an important component of his style and method of fictional composition. Wyke follows the development of Selvon’s writing from his early to his late career, starting with his first novel, A Brighter Sun (1952), continuing with The Lonely Londoners (1956) and the short stories Ways of Sunlight (1957), and devoting a large part of the book to Selvon’s middle and later years, focusing on such novels as I Hear Thunder (1963), The Housing Lark (1965), and Those Who Eat the Cascadura (1972). He finishes with the last two works of Selvon’s trilogy, Moses Ascending (1975) and Moses Migrating (1983). The book reveals Selvon as a serious pioneer in the use of dialect in narration instead of mainly in the dialogue of novels and other fiction writing. Wyke’s concise and penetrating analysis of individual novels and short stories, including the lyrical story 'My Girl and the City,' and his demonstration of features of Trinidad Creole English as a versatile tool in the hands of a novelist, will appeal to literary critics as well as to those who are interested in the relationship between linguistics and literary criticism. Selvon’s work often combines an interesting and humorous, yet serious, portrayal of the Commonwealth experience which will sound familiar to Caribbean, English, and Canadian audiences. This book will introduce new readers to his oeuvre and will be particularly appealing to those examining the connection between the Caribbean, Canada, and Britain -- places where Selvon has lived and from where he draws the rich material he uses to create his art.