The Caribbean is an exotic but not too distant land, full of rich cultural traditions. The literature of the Caribbean reflects the social, political, and cultural concerns of the region and is a valuable tool for learning about the area and its people. This book includes chapters on roughly a dozen contemporary Caribbean writers. Along with plot summaries, these sections discuss major themes and give close attention to how Caribbean culture figures in the writer’s texts. To help students conduct further research, each chapter cites works for further reading.

Each chapter provides a brief biography, followed by a critical analysis of one or more significant literary works. These discussions consider the plot and themes of the texts and examine how the literary works reflect Caribbean cultural and social issues. Students in literature courses will value this book as a guide to popular works by Caribbean writers, while students in social studies courses will learn how to use literature to study Caribbean culture.