Derek Walcott: Politics and Poetics

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Paula Burnett offers a new interpretation of the life’s work of acclaimed St. Lucian poet, playwright, and Nobel Prize winner Derek Walcott. Often regarded as the radical voice of the Third World, his drama and poetry together form a coherent project designed to create a legacy for modern Caribbean society. Illuminating his ideology and the technique that informs his writing, Burnett discusses his unique approach to myth, identity, and aesthetics.

In addition to his poetry, the book draws extensively on Walcott’s essays, plays, broadcasts, private interviews, and public appearances, some previously unpublished or unrecorded. What emerges is the picture of an epic poet with remarkable gifts working to impart the distinctive wisdom of Caribbean culture-a politically aware writer celebrating his people, place, and language. Burnett also reveals an artist with a message to the world: that a positive sense of identity can be built out of negative circumstances like injustice and exploitation, if only creativity is mobilized.

The book serves as a critical study for more experienced scholars and as a solid introductory text for students of Walcott’s work. Its readable and well-organized style also makes it appealing to anyone with a general interest in poetry.