Samuel Selvon, a seminal figure in West Indian literature, initially received less recognition than his contribution to the genre warranted. With a career that emerged during a time when British and American literature dominated the critical scene, Selvon's work was overshadowed. His style, characterized by an engaging, gentle approach rather than the dramatic complexity favored in the 1960s, may have contributed to this initial oversight. However, Selvon's writings have since gained considerable traction, particularly his novel A Brighter Sun, which has been reprinted multiple times and continues to attract a growing readership.

Selvon's literary acclaim has surged as his unique strengths in capturing the Trinidadian experience have been acknowledged. His vivid portrayals of the societal transformations in Trinidad during the pivotal era from colonial dependency to national independence are particularly notable. Through his storytelling, Selvon skillfully illustrates the lives, struggles, aspirations, and disillusionments of West Indians adjusting to life within a dominant metropolitan culture, rather than a peripheral one. His lens on ghettoization, whether voluntary or involuntary, based on race and ethnicity, and his depiction of the steadfast commitment to idealism amidst adversity and bias, have been praised for their poignancy and, at times, comic sympathy.

Among his works, Turn Again Tiger, a sequel to A Brighter Sun, follows the characters Tiger and Urmilla as they return to the sugarcane district, only to face various challenges and disappointments. Despite these setbacks, Tiger's resilience and philosophy—"We finish one job, and we got to get ready to start another"—echoes the thematic core of A Brighter Sun, reflecting Selvon's own worldview.

Selvon's journey as an author began with the publication of A Brighter Sun shortly after his move from Trinidad to England, where he spent three decades before relocating to Canada in 1978. In addition to his dozen volumes of fiction, Selvon made significant contributions to poetry and scriptwriting for radio, television, and film. His most celebrated works, including A Brighter Sun, Ways of Sunlight, and The Lonely Londoners, exemplify his ability to capture the authentic voices of Trinidadian characters.

Selvon's prowess lies in his ability to authentically render dialect-speaking characters and to exploit the full range of language available to him. His mastery is particularly evident in the creation of vivid episodes, as opposed to navigating complex novel structures. A Brighter Sun stands as a cornerstone of the West Indian literary renaissance, setting the stage for contemporaries such as Michael Anthony and V. S. Naipaul. Scholar Kenneth Ramchand remarked that "it is in this novel that dialect first becomes the language of consciousness in West Indian fiction." Whether or not Selvon was the first to employ dialect in this manner, his nuanced use of Trinidadian vernacular allowed for humor and deep emotional expression, making the novel as much about language as it is about the characters within it.