Derek Walcott Criticism
Derek Walcott, a Nobel laureate and one of the most influential figures in contemporary English-language literature, has been celebrated for his profound engagement with themes of ethnicity, cultural conflict, and political inequality. His work, deeply rooted in his mixed European and African heritage, offers a complex exploration of Caribbean identity. Walcott's poetry is renowned for its sophisticated forms and evocative depiction of Caribbean life, as seen in collections like In a Green Night, Another Life, and the epic Omeros. Stephen Breslow notes Walcott's engagement with history and Western culture, which forms a deep investigation into the postcolonial Caribbean identity.
Walcott's dramatic contributions are equally significant, focusing on cross-cultural interactions and employing Caribbean dialects and folklore. Despite his acclaim, critiques often address his refined language and intellectual complexity, suggesting that his techniques can sometimes obscure meaning. This tension is part of the broader cultural dialogue Walcott engages with, as explored in Jahan Ramazani's essay, The Wound of History. Some critics debate whether Walcott's work skews too Caribbean or too European, reflecting his ability to marry diverse literary traditions.
His major works, including Omeros, have been praised for their textured and imaginative scope, though critics like Christopher Benfey have pointed out challenging metrical patterns. His plays, such as The Odyssey and Pantomime, reveal his innovative use of drama to explore identity and colonial history. Walcott's essays collected in What the Twilight Says provide insight into his aesthetic and philosophical views, with Bruce King offering a positive assessment despite Ronny Noor's criticism of his European imperialist vocabulary.
Critics such as John Thieme and David Mason have praised Walcott for his complex exploration of racial, cultural, and historical themes. Although his sophisticated style sometimes overshadows meaning, his role as a cross-cultural commentator is undeniable. His collection The Fortunate Traveller exemplifies his ability to universalize personal experiences, and Hugo Williams commends the vibrant language in In a Green Night, while critics like Cameron King and Louis James highlight his integration of European and Caribbean identities.
Walcott's rise to prominence began with In a Green Night, establishing him as a formidable voice in Caribbean literature. His work challenges the reader to engage with themes of isolation and artistic solitude, as James Dickey observes in his examination of Walcott's interplay between Caribbean identity and African heritage. Valerie Trueblood notes his vast thematic scope and stylistic control, whereas Benjamin DeMott and G. E. Murray celebrate The Star-Apple Kingdom for its exploration of power dynamics. Despite varying opinions on his dramatic works, Walcott's poetic language and character depth receive praise, with critics like Edith Oliver noting the dynamic interplay of vernacular and high style. This evolution towards a more expressive poetic voice is discussed by Selden Rodman and Robert Mazzocco, marking a balance between historical narrative and personal exploration.
Contents
- Principal Works
- Walcott, Derek (Vol. 9)
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Walcott, Derek (Vol. 14)
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Different Voices, Different Tones
(summary)
In the following essay, James Dickey argues that Derek Walcott's poetry powerfully navigates the complex and symbolic relationship between his Caribbean identity and African heritage, offering a vivid depiction of the Caribbean Islands as both a place of historical dislocation and contemporary beauty.
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On Derek Walcott
(summary)
In the following essay, Valerie Trueblood explores the vast thematic scope and stylistic control in Derek Walcott's poetry, highlighting his ability to integrate influences and traditions while maintaining a unique Caribbean voice, and she considers the personal and political dimensions of his work as well as its emotional range and innovative language.
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Poems of Caribbean Wounds
(summary)
In the following essay, Benjamin DeMott explores Derek Walcott's collection "The Star-Apple Kingdom," highlighting its focus on themes of power dynamics and political realities, while praising the work's dynamic language and its revival of impactful public speech in English poetry.
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Six Poets
(summary)
In the following essay, G. E. Murray argues that Derek Walcott, through his collection "The Star-Apple Kingdom," masterfully integrates narrative techniques and eloquent language to evoke the Caribbean's natural beauty and historical depth, solidifying his reputation as a leading modern English poet.
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Folie à deux
(summary)
In the following essay, John Simon critiques Derek Walcott's play Remembrance as lacking character development and cohesive energy, noting its reliance on the framing device of an interview and its appeal primarily to poetry reading enthusiasts.
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Displaced Person
(summary)
In the following essay, Edith Oliver examines Derek Walcott's play "Remembrance," emphasizing its strength in poetic language and character depth, notably through the protagonist Albert Jordan, who embodies the tensions between colonial British influence and his own Trinidadian identity.
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Books in Brief: 'The Star-Apple Kingdom'
(summary)
In the following essay, Selden Rodman argues that Derek Walcott skillfully merges vernacular and high style in his poetry, although he occasionally employs devices that hinder clarity, particularly in "The Star-Apple Kingdom," where the use of dialect contrasts with the anti-colonialist themes and elevated rhetoric.
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Embracing Adversity
(summary)
In the following essay, Robert Mazzocco discusses Derek Walcott's poetic evolution, emphasizing his capacity to mediate between obsession and responsibility while exploring themes of history, cultural dislocation, and adversity in works like The Star-Apple Kingdom, marking a maturation in Walcott's voice towards a more balanced and expressive engagement with historical and personal narratives.
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Different Voices, Different Tones
(summary)
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Walcott, Derek (Vol. 160)
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In Multitudinous Dialects
(summary)
In the following review, Lucas offers a positive assessment of Walcott's Collected Poems, though expresses concerns about the quality of Walcott's later verse.
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The Sea, the Sea
(summary)
In the following review, Lucas evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of Walcott's Omeros. Omeros begins with Philoctete, an islander of St Lucia, being photographed by tourists who “try taking / his soul with their cameras.” Then he and his friends, Achille and Hector, turn to their work of cutting down trees to make canoes so that the latter two can pursue their trade as fishermen. Some 320 pages later, the poem ends with Achille hauling his canoe called “In God We Trust” up the beach, and taking from it a catch of shining mackerel. In between these two events lies what must be one of the great poems of our time.
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Coming Home
(summary)
In the following review, Benfey offers a mixed assessment of Omeros, finding shortcomings in the volume's ineffective “imaginative journeys” and unusual metrical patterns.
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Paradise Lost
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Everett compliments the “rich texture” of the verse in Omeros.
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Making Blind Birds Sing
(summary)
In the following review of Omeros, Birkerts praises Walcott's poetic genius, but finds serious shortcomings in the work's overly ambitious epic design.
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Derek Walcott: 1992 Nobel Laureate in Literature
(summary)
In the following essay, Breslow provides an overview of Walcott's literary accomplishments and his cross-cultural preoccupations with history, Western culture and myth, postcolonial Caribbean identity, and the legacy of racism.
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Review of The Odyssey
(summary)
In the following positive review, Breslow praises Walcott's stage adaptation of Homer's Odyssey.
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The Commonwealth: Pedestal or Pyre?
(summary)
In the following interview, Walcott and Benjamin explore the cultural significance of the British Commonwealth, with Walcott defending its enduring role as a source of shared identity and mutual enrichment, highlighting the importance of multiculturalism and the symbolic unity represented by the Commonwealth amidst the changing geopolitical landscape.
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Living Ghosts
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Bayley offers a positive assessment of The Bounty, referring to Walcott as “a poet of singular honesty.”
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The Wound of History: Walcott's Omeros and the Postcolonial Poetics of Affliction
(summary)
In the following essay, Ramazani examines Walcott's metaphorical treatment of New World African slavery and postcolonial Caribbean suffering in Omeros, as signified by Walcott's evocation of physical trauma, unhealed wounds, and aspects of recovery.
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Derek Walcott: An Interview with Rose Styron
(summary)
In the following interview, Walcott and Styron explore Walcott's formative experiences and cultural influences in Saint Lucia, his perspectives on Caribbean multiculturalism and politics, and his insights into the composition and teaching of poetry, emphasizing the significance of cultural diversity and personal heritage in his work.
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Buried Treasure
(summary)
In the following review, Greenwell offers a mixed assessment of The Bounty.
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Breadfruit, Bach, and Kafka
(summary)
In the following review, Pettingell offers a positive assessment of The Bounty.
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The Apples of This Second Eden
(summary)
In the following review, Sanger offers a generally favorable assessment of The Bounty, though notes flaws in what he sees as Walcott's empty phrasing and forced rhyme schemes.
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Fanfares
(summary)
In the following review of The Bounty, Sansom criticizes Walcott's tendency toward poetic ostentation, verbosity, and excessive exultation.
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Unphantasmal Peace
(summary)
In the following review, Kirsch evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of The Bounty, complimenting Walcott for addressing “the largest themes without self-consciousness or hesitation.”
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Review of The Bounty
(summary)
In the following positive review, King praises Walcott's imagery and verse in The Bounty.
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Poetry Chronicle
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Tillinghast offers a generally positive assessment of The Bounty.
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Critical Overview and Conclusion
(summary)
In the following essay, Thieme provides an overview of the critical reaction to Walcott's work over a period of five decades, including a discussion of notable publications that have contributed to the critical study of Walcott's oeuvre.
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What the Twilight Says
(summary)
In the following positive review, King praises Walcott's essays in What the Twilight Says.
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What the Twilight Says
(summary)
In the following review, Noor offers a positive assessment of What the Twilight Says, though expresses concern over Walcott's failure to challenge the vocabulary and prejudices of European imperialism.
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Playing the Roman
(summary)
In the following review, Bamforth offers a generally positive assessment of What the Twilight Says.
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Position, Connection, Conviction
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Gundy compliments Walcott's prose in What the Twilight Says, praising the work's “sharp and stimulating analyses.”
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In Pursuit of Elegance
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Kitchen praises Walcott's elegance in Tiepolo's Hound, but finds the volume overly analytical and academic.
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Derek Walcott's Omeros: Echoes from a White-Throated Vase
(summary)
In the following essay, Lock discusses the problematic aesthetic representation of the female subject in Western literary tradition and in Walcott's evocation of Helen in Omeros.
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Visions of Light
(summary)
In the following review, Alvarez offers a positive assessment of Tiepolo's Hound.
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Singing the Griot's Song
(summary)
In the following review, Kirsch provides an overview of Walcott's life and writing through a discussion of Bruce King's biography, Derek Walcott: A Caribbean Life, and offers a positive assessment of Walcott's Tiepolo's Hound.
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Review of Tiepolo's Hound
(summary)
In the following positive review, Hannan praises Tiepolo's Hound, complimenting Walcott's “calm and devastating clarity.” He highlights Walcott's ability to combine passion with elegance, revisiting themes from his previous poetry, and describes the poem's excellence in craft and vision.
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In Multitudinous Dialects
(summary)
- Walcott, Derek (Vol. 2)
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Walcott, Derek (Alton)
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Selected Books: 'In A Green Night'
(summary)
In the following essay, Hugo Williams appraises Derek Walcott's first poetry collection, In a Green Night, noting its vibrant language and evocative imagery, while critiquing some weaker pieces, and ultimately valuing the collection's self-assured and buoyant poetic voice.
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In Solitude for Company: The Poetry of Derek Walcott
(summary)
In the following essay, Cameron King and Louis James explore Derek Walcott's journey of poetic self-discovery, emphasizing his use of European literary traditions to explore Caribbean identity, and describe how Walcott's work balances the tensions of cultural heritage, intellectual rigor, and artistic expression within the context of Caribbean and global influences.
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Metaphor and Plainness in the Poetry of Derek Walcott
(summary)
In the following essay, Edward Baugh examines Derek Walcott's evolving use of metaphor in his poetry, highlighting the tension between simplicity and complexity, and how Walcott's pursuit of plainness is tempered by his intricate use of metaphor to convey deeper meanings and truths.
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Waiting for the End
(summary)
In the following essay, Denis Donoghue critiques Derek Walcott's poetry for being caught between historical constraints and personal sensibility, arguing that while Walcott strives for a direct style, his works often exhibit an excessive rhetorical flair that struggles with the complex interplay of language and emotion.
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Derek Walcott: The Man and His Ideas
(summary)
In the following essay, Samuel Omo Asein examines Derek Walcott's exploration of death, racial and individual identity, and cultural affirmation, arguing that his works profoundly articulate the precariousness of human existence and the struggle for self-fulfillment within an unsympathetic universe, thus affirming his stature as a leading poet and playwright.
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West Indies II: Walcott, Brathwaite and Authenticity
(summary)
In the following essay, Bruce King examines Derek Walcott's exploration of personal and communal identity, racial and cultural duality, and the evolution of his poetic style, highlighting how Walcott's works critique political demagoguery and seek to define a distinct West Indian identity through art and autobiography.
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Robert D. Hamner
(summary)
In the following essay, Robert D. Hamner explores Derek Walcott's evolution as a dramatist, noting the transition from his early plays characterized by a focus on psychological and philosophical themes with a formal style, to works like Ti-Jean and His Brothers and Dream on Monkey Mountain which integrate West Indian cultural elements and grapple with identity and colonialism.
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Poet of Two Worlds
(summary)
In the following essay, Helen Vendler analyzes Derek Walcott's poetic evolution, highlighting his struggle between the formal English influences and his own Caribbean heritage, ultimately asserting that while his work reflects a divided identity, "The Fortunate Traveller" illustrates his mastery of blending lyrical prowess with profound social commentary.
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Having to Ask: The Loss of Self in Contemporary Culture
(summary)
In the following essay, Bromell examines how Derek Walcott navigates the complexities of personal identity, race, and culture within his poetry, arguing that Walcott's work transcends simplistic racial binaries by embracing the full spectrum of his multicultural heritage and confronting the profound implications of race as a fundamental element of human culture.
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In Verse: 'The Fortunate Traveller'
(summary)
In the following essay, Kenneth Funsten critiques Derek Walcott's The Fortunate Traveller as lacking originality and experimentation, while acknowledging that certain poems such as "The Hotel Normandie Pool" and "early Pompeiian" demonstrate his narrative strength and precise use of language, showcasing Walcott's value when at his best.
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Pale Assassin
(summary)
In the following essay, Peter Bland examines Derek Walcott's poetry, highlighting his evolving identity and universal perspective as a "fortunate traveller," while emphasizing his deep connection to the Caribbean and the profound sense of place in his works.
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Beach Poets
(summary)
In the following essay, Blake Morrison critiques Derek Walcott's The Fortunate Traveller, asserting that while the collection adeptly navigates themes of power and responsibility, it occasionally forces imagery to serve abstract ideas, particularly in poems about the United States, yet finds authenticity in the poems about displacement and regret.
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Private and Public Languages: New Poetry
(summary)
In the following essay, Alan Jenkins critiques Derek Walcott's The Fortunate Traveller for its reliance on cultural name-dropping, its emulation of Robert Lowell's style, and its sometimes excessive rhetoric, while acknowledging Walcott's unique perspective as an outsider observing New York and northern Europe.
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Selected Books: 'In A Green Night'
(summary)
- Walcott, Derek (Vol. 4)
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Walcott, Derek (Drama Criticism)
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Author Commentary
(summary)
In the following essay, the critic presents Derek Walcott's insights into his play "Dream on Monkey Mountain," highlighting its exploration of West Indian identity, colonial impact, cultural roots, and the character of Makak, inspired by a real person, while also reflecting on Walcott's personal and cultural influences.
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Overviews And General Studies
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Derek Walcott's Theater of Assimilation
(summary)
In the essay below, Hamner surveys the development of Walcott's drama through O Babylon! He underscores the playwright's assimilation of diverse cultural and theatrical influences in his works.
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The Theme of Madness in the Plays of Derek Walcott
(summary)
In the essay below, Peters analyzes Walcott's depiction of madness in his characters as a response to the clash between European, African, and New World cultures.
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Mapping a New Nile: Derek Walcott's Later Plays
(summary)
In the following essay, Fiet provides an overview of Walcott's plays from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, stressing their use of theatrical metaphors and settings.
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Derek Walcott's Theater of Assimilation
(summary)
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Dream On Monkey Mountain
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Racial Allegory
(summary)
Dream on Monkey Mountain received its New York debut on 14 March 1971 in a production by the Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) at the St. Mark's Playhouse. In the following assessment of the premiere performance, Barnes calls the play a "richly flavored phantasmagoria" and stresses its poetic aspects.
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How to Discover the Corruption in Honest Men?
(summary)
In the following evaluation of the New York staging of Dream on Monkey Mountain, Kerr judges the play wordy and slow.
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Once upon a Full Moon
(summary)
Oliver declares Dream on Monkey Mountain a "masterpiece" and praises its "beauty, imagination, humor, and vigor." The review describes the play's protagonist, an old black charcoal peddler named Makak, who believes he is so ugly that he cannot look in a mirror. After causing chaos in a bar, he is jailed and experiences a frenzy during which he claims to receive messages from a white moon-goddess. The review highlights the performance of the Negro Ensemble Company and the direction of Michael A. Schultz.
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A Black Man's Dream of Personal Freedom
(summary)
In this review of the NEC production, Riley describes Dream on Monkey Mountain as a "lush depiction of the many moods implicit in the ritual and realistic aspects of Caribbean Black life" but notes that at times the play does "falter under the weight of its voluminous dialogue."
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Big Night Music: Derek Walcott's Dream on Monkey Mountain and the 'Splendours of Imagination'
(summary)
In the essay below, Fox traces the theme of dreams and the imagination in Dream on Monkey Mountain.
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Racial Allegory
(summary)
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Author Commentary
(summary)
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Walcott, Derek (Poetry Criticism)
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Caribbean Castaway New World Odyssey: Derek Walcott's Poetry
(summary)
In the following essay, Brown offers an overview of Walcott's poetry, tracing the theme of “the New World” that appears throughout his work.
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Valerie Trueblood on Derek Walcott
(summary)
In the following essay, Trueblood discusses poems from multiple volumes of Walcott's poetry, including In a Green Night, The Castaway and Other Poems, The Gulf, Another Life, and Sea Grapes.
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Inconsolable Songs of Our America: The Poetry of Derek Walcott
(summary)
In the following essay, Salkey discusses recurring themes of light, harmony, and completeness in Walcott's poetry.
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The Painter as Poet: Derek Walcott's Midsummer
(summary)
In the following essay, Bensen examines the centrality of painting and imagery in Walcott's Midsummer.
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Derek Walcott: Poet of the New World
(summary)
In the following essay, Mason explores the geographic expansion of Walcott's “literary territory” from the Caribbean roots of his earliest writings to North American and Mediterranean settings.
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The Man Who Keeps the English Language Alive: An Interview with Derek Walcott
(summary)
In the following interview, Walcott and Presson explore the thematic complexity of Walcott's epic poem "Omeros," discussing its narrative structure, its depiction of Caribbean identity, and its blending of poetic and cinematic techniques to convey the historical and cultural multiplicity of the Caribbean experience.
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Poetry: Derek Walcott
(summary)
In the following essay, Hirsch offers a positive assessment of Walcott's career as a poet and playwright.
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Philoctete's Wound
(summary)
In the following essay, Hamner offers a critical analysis of Walcott's epic poem Omeros, focusing particular attention on the role of the character Philoctetes.
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Adam's Task … : Myths and Fictions in the Poetry of Derek Walcott
(summary)
In the following essay, Wieland explores recurring allusions to mythological and fictional themes and characters in Walcott's body of work.
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The Poet as Castaway
(summary)
In the following essay, Thieme analyzes the recurring motif of the Robinson Crusoe archetype in Walcott's poetry.
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Derek Walcott's Omeros: Echoes from a White-throated Vase
(summary)
In the following essay, Lock presents an analysis of the depiction of women in the language and structure of Walcott's Omeros.
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A Multiplicity of Voices: A Conversation with Derek Walcott
(summary)
In the following interview, Derek Walcott and William R. Ferris discuss the diverse influences on Walcott's literary career, including Caribbean culture, the interplay of painting and writing, and the themes of identity and exploration, emphasizing Walcott's commitment to his cultural roots and the multiplicity of voices that define the Caribbean experience.
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An Iliad for Our Time: Walcott's Caribbean Epic
(summary)
In the following essay, Shullenberger compares Walcott's epic poem Omeros to Homer's Iliad. Although we tend to assign the epic to the literary past as a bygone genre, Derek Walcott's Omeros, published in 1990, asserts the ongoing power of the epic to claim our attention and shape our understanding. The epic is a monumental literary form—an index to the depth and richness of a culture and the ultimate test of a writer's creative power. Homer's Iliad stands at the beginning of the epic tradition in western culture, and Walcott's Omeros is that tradition's most recent expression.
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The Wound of Postcolonial History: Derek Walcott's Omeros
(summary)
In the following essay, Ramazani traces the theme of postcolonial Afro-Caribbean cultural identity in Walcott's Omeros.
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Walcott, Homer, and the ‘Black Atlantic.’
(summary)
In the following essay, Okpewho examines Walcott's themes of journey, voyage, and cultural identity within the context of African Caribbean literary discourse.
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Caribbean Castaway New World Odyssey: Derek Walcott's Poetry
(summary)
- Further Reading