Literary Brilliance... (A Look at Successful Trinidadian Authors)

Talking to a world famous  publisher about my book recently, he was surprised that i was unaware of the many Trinidadians & Tobagonians whose works have already been published and was happy to give me a list.

This is a reproduction of that list, and I am sure you would be just as surprised as I am as to some of the writers and their stories in the list:

The great Gatsby - Anil Roberts

One man's journey from insignificance to fame and back again in quick time. 

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - Machel Montano

Machel reminisces about a time when he too thought he was 'too young to soca;' when he was his most artistic and original self.

Brave New World - Co-Authored by Gregory Aboud and Louis Lee Sing

A collaboration by two national icons outlining their new vision for Port of Spain 

The Sound and The Fury - Watson Duke

Long since retired from the rough housing of union life, Mr. Duke in his later years was known to march around his own house screaming demands at his wife through a mega phone, much to his neighbors' dismay.

Catch 22 - Dr. Keith Rowley

Written from the perspective of a politician who dared to do the right thing in a land where the right thing was always the wrong time.

Darkness at Noon - Sat Maharaj

The third in his three part series on his love affair with big boned black women, the author is unafraid to release his raw sexual energy onto the page. Famous for his saying 'once you go black there's no going back,' the literary world awaits with baited breath where this talented writer goes from here.

Sons and Lovers - Deosaran Bisnath

A tell-all tale of his days in the seedy London Bath house district, this writer expresses man boy love as no one before or since. Also includes the recipe for his favorite asian delicacy - 'cream of sumyungai.'

The Grapes of Wrath - (non fiction)

A collection of internal memos from the HADCO group, outlining how to get cheap D grade grapes onto the local market at exorbitant prices. See also 'The Apples of Wrath' and 'The Pears of Wrath.'

Nineteen Eighty Four -  Surujatattan Rambachan

A signature work of a political ideology frozen in time. Includes contributions from Dr. Carson Charles, Bhoe Tewarie and Jenson Fox.

Invisible Man - Prakash Ramadhar

A legal luminary in his own right, this work describes his fall from grace and disappearance from the public view by being elected to political Office.

A Passage to India - Roodal Moonilal

Drugged one night, bound and packed as cargo aboard an ocean going vessel, join Roody as he tries to find out who would do this to him and who paid his passage on a Taiwanese trawler.

The Ambassadors - Garvin Nicholas

Not all good things come to those who wait, sometimes gross miscalculation and failure can actually improve your career. A 'How To' book on making it worth their while for superiors to promote you out of the way.

Tender is the Night - Patrick Manning

A love story like no other, Patrick tells of his heartbreaking addiction to sada roti, and the journeys spent in search of it in other people's homes.

The Naked and the Dead - Marlene McDonald

 Describing her fondness for eating raw chicken in the nude, this is a tale that many say should not have been published, others say especially the pictures. Shown the book and asked to comment, famous author and publisher Warch Narmann commented 'Oh God my eyes.'

From Here to Eternity - Basdeo Panday

Having vowed to die with his boots on, this former Trade Union Leader, Opposition Leader and Prime Minister writes in his memoirs that he will be contesting his much loved Couva North constituency in 2022.

The Postman Always Rings Twice - Kamla Persad Bissessar

Few have been able to put into words the horrors of a ringing doorbell on a hangover, and in this open and revealing work the writer shares the effect of a ringing phone on a hangover, a neighbor's lawnmower on a hangover, a passing plane on a hangover, singing birds on a hangover, etc. 

Lord of the Flies - Austin jack Warner

Part two to his revealing 'Lord of the Files' and the precursor to 'Lord of the Fools,' the last installment of a trilogy of political intrigue and conquest by a man some say has never met a man of integrity that he spoke to twice.

A Bend in the River - Sasha Mohammed

The unauthorized biography of a journalist's journey from the outhouse to the big house, this work deals with the issue of duplicity and bias peddling in a frank and meaningful way. The chapter on 'Political Soul Mates' was especially telling, and reveals more about the alleged occurrences of journalistic prostitution rumored to be prevalent in the media community.

Personally I was very impressed that such abundance of work exists and surprised that I was unaware that so many of my fellow country men were already published.

This augers well for the future of writers struggling to find their place in a crowded literary world and paves the way for greater things to come.