Derek Walcott'sOmerosand the refiguration of the Caribbean Eden
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2178407 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Maik Nwosu |
| Year | 2008 |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 127-137 |
| Publication date | 2008-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Postcolonial Writing (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1744-9855 • E-ISSN: 1744-9863 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17449850802000514 |
| OpenAlex | W2087709461 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 7 |
In his 1992 Nobel lecture, Derek Walcott describes “Antillean art” as the “restoration of our shattered histories, our shards of vocabulary, our archipelago becoming a synonym for pieces broken off from the original continent”. His epical Omeros is a journey‐based and transformative gathering of those pieces, emphasizing the significance of language as an anti‐imperial instrument. Its language reflects the power dynamic that shaped the cultural intersections in the Caribbean as well as embeds the notion of time–space transcendence as an important aspect of the healing process. The trajectory of Omeros includes a projective journey into the future as well as a vital reconnection with the renewing past – Africa in this instance – via language and memory. Significantly, and regardless of Walcott's stated inclination towards extending the “mighty line” of Milton, the source field for healing in Omeros is Africa
Archaeology · Archipelago · Art · Linguistics · Literature · Power (physics · Synonym (taxonomy · Caribbean history, culture, and politics · Ecology · History · Philosophy
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |