[In the following review of the Dutch edition of Tim tim? Bois sec!, Yoder compares Condé's critical anthology to previous versions, noting several improvements.]

The recent Dutch publication of Tim tim? Bois sec!, Condé's combined revision of her 1977 critical anthologies La poésie antillaise and Le roman antillais (volumes one and two), reflects the growing interest in Caribbean literature in the Netherlands. The Dutch editor is Andries van der Wal, one of the editors of Met Eigen Stem, an anthology of literature of the Netherlands Antilles. Excellent translations from the French are provided by Fred de Haas.

Tim tim? is divided into two parts. The first section offers a concise introduction to the history, themes, movements and works by major writers of the French-speaking Caribbean (excluding Haiti). The second section provides an anthology of twenty-nine short excerpts from novels and thirteen poems. The work concludes with brief biographies of the authors anthologized and a bibliography of secondary literature. Regrettably, no footnotes or biographical references are provided to the critical introduction or to the prose excerpts and the poems.

A comparison with the 1977 French anthologies shows that the Dutch edition is definitely enriched by two additions. First, Condé has added a section on the essay, with examples from Césaire and Fanon; second, she has included a brief analysis of the role of the traditional oral tale, followed by such a tale, entitled "Lapin and Zamba in the Belly of the Ox" (recorded by Ina Césaire). Obviously, Condé intends to stress the significance of oral literature in the development of Antillean literature by using the formula with which the tale begins ("Tim tim bois sec") as her title for the Dutch edition.

Believing that "l'histoire de la poésie antillaise suit étroitement celle de l'évolution de la société," Condé has also expanded and updated the section on the historical context of Antillean literature. The critical introduction, as a whole, is informative, and her thematically organized anthology is strengthened by headings that relate to the themes analyzed in the introduction (e. g., "The Past," "Color Prejudice and Alienation," "Africa as Seen by the Antilles," "Resistance," "Negritude," "New Directions"). A similar English translation of Condé's anthologies would be useful in providing an overview of Caribbean literature in French for English-speaking students of this increasingly significant region and literature.