Derek Walcott and West Indian Drama

Bruce King

Editorial: Clarendon Press, Oxford University Press • 2004

• Firma y fecha en página de respeto. Written at Derek Walcott's suggestion, and based on interviews with the playwright, this is the first detailed study of a post-colonial theatre company and the problems of creating "serious" theatre in the former British colonies. The book shows how the Nobel Prize winner strove to create a world class theatre ensemble in the West Indies--a Trinidadian Brecht Berliner ensemble--and traces his life and career in West Indian theatre and the history of the Trinidad Theatre Workshop. A major contribution to West Indian history and theatre, Bruce King's study reveals the heroic will of Derek Walcott, and his determination to prove that West Indian drama was a force with which to be reckoned. Nobel laureate poet and dramatist Walcott founded the Trinidad Theatre Workshop. Walcott's plays, including Ti-Jean and His Brothers, Dream on Monkey Mountain, The Charlatan, and Haytian Earth, are widely acclaimed and have been produced throughout the Caribbean, North America, and Europe. This book recounts the story of how Walcott was able to create this world-class theater company and inspire it with his creativity and energy, also offering a discussion of the ongoing support the company receives from the Rockefeller Foundation. A detailed and scholarly work, this title fills a gap in theater history and is most likely to be read by serious students and historians. Recommended for large academic collections. (Howard E. Miller, Alliance Blue Cross & Blue Shield Lib., St. Louis)