Beyond Calypso

Samuel Selvon is a seminal figure in the Caribbean, Canadian and black British literary traditions, but he is under-analysed and examination of his oeuvre is restricted primarily to calypso aethetics, dialectic humour and social realism. Although he is a major author, the bulk of his writing remains unread and the contexts of his production, as well as his life as a writer, are largely misunderstood. Beyond Calypso breaks this trend by presenting wide-ranging analyses across the body of Selvon's work including the poetry and short stories that escaped sustained attention in previous critical works on Selvon. Uniting scholars from the three sites from which Selvon undertook his literary career, Beyond Calypso progresses past the themes that have dominated previous assessments of Selvon. The collection begins with a survey of Selvon's criticism by leading Selvon scholar, Kenneth Ramchand, and moves on to draw together new archival research, surveys of hitherto out of print texts, broad readings of Selvon's works and more focused analyses. Presenting a fresh and comprehensive engagement with the work of one of the most significant figures in Caribbean and World Literature, Beyond Calypso reinvigorates interest in Samuel Selvon and sets the agenda for future Selvon studies.