The Eye of the Scarecrow

by Wilson Harris

Reflecting on three distinct periods in the unnamed narrator’s life in Guyana from the 1920s to the 1940s, this novel illustrates the various incidents that gradually change his perception of the world. After he experiences a disconcerting vision regarding one of his friends, he is rendered incapable of reviewing his own history until many years later, when this fictional account begins a voyage through his consciousness. This cyclical tale removes the props of linear narrative and conventional characterization, offering a compensating Proustian richness of sensuous associations. This powerful exploration of memory also delves into a political dimension, questioning the connection between the 1948 anti-colonial movement’s challenge of British power over Guyanese lives and the 1964 civil war between Africans and Indians in the South American state.

108 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1974

About the author

Born in Guyana in 1921 and based in England since 1959, Wilson Harris is one of the most original novelists and critics of the twentieth century. His writings, which include poems, numerous essays and twenty-four novels, provide a passionate and unique defense of the notion of cross-culturalism as well as a visionary exploration of the interdependence between history, landscape and humanity. In 2010 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to literature.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

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