the ledge files
the ledge - nl - uk
nieuw
zoeken
gesprekken
boeken
Jamaica Kincaid
Antigua 25 May 1949 • Antiguaans-Amerikaans schrijfster

zoek in hele site:


the ledge - flash versie*

*

With her books and novels, including Annie John, Lucy, At the Bottom of the River and the controversial A Small Place, Jamaica Kincaid has carved out a unique and cherished place in the American literary landscape. Strikingly honest - and with what Susan Sontag praised as 'an emotional truthfulness' - she vividly describes the difficult coming-of-age of strong-minded girls who, very much like herself, were born into tropical poverty.

Kincaid’s literary voice is deeply rooted in her experiences as a child in her native Antigua and her tempestuous relationship with her mother. Growing up under the colonial rule of England instilled in her a tragic, yet often-ignored perspective that echoes through all of her writing. Says Kincaid, 'I never give up thinking about the way I came into the world, how my ancestors came from Africa to the West Indies as slaves. I just never forget it. It’s like a big wave that’s still pulsing.'

At the age of 17, Kincaid left Antigua to work as an au pair, or what she describes as 'a servant,' for an upper class family in New York City. She went on to
study photography and then to a brief stay at Franconia College in New Hampshire before returning to New York.
As a writer for The Village Voice and Ingenue magazine, Kincaid drew the attention of William Shawn (then editor of The New Yorker) with her literary instincts and descriptive sensibilities. She became a staff writer for The New Yorker in 1976 and a featured columnist for its 'Talk of the Town' section for the next nine years.

Her other books include: Annie, Gwen, Lilly, Pam and Tulip; Autobiography of My Mother; My Brother; Talk Stories and Mr. Potter. An avid gardener and the author of My Garden (Book), Kincaid’s latest book, Among Flowers: A Walk in the Himalayas (January 2005), is about her adventure in the mountains of Nepal with a group of botanists.

Kincaid's work has received wide critical acclaim. She won the Morton Dauwen Zabel Award from the American Academy and Institute of Arts for her first book, At the Bottom of the River. In 1992 she was invited to teach at Harvard University, where she is now a visiting lecturer on African and African American Studies.

- www.roycecarleton.com
schema  
HET OEUVRE VAN JAMAICA KINCAID:

Annie John
1985
Als een gevoelig meisje opgroeit gaat dit niet zonder problemen.
:
noot maken
naam:

noot


Code (above)


The Ledge
Redactie: Stacey Knecht, info@the-ledge.com
Dank aan: De digitale pioniers en
Het Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds
Ontwerp: Maurits de Bruijn
 

Copyright: Pieter Steinz, Stacey Knecht
Reproduktie en/of hergebruik uitsluitend in overeenstemming met de auteurs.