Jestina's Calypso and Other Plays

by Earl Lovelace

Contains three plays which have a gift for catching the liveliness of the everyday speech of Trinidadians.

118 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Novelist, playwright and short-story writer Earl Lovelace was born in Toco, Trinidad in 1935 and grew up in Tobago. He worked for the Trinidad Guardian, then for the Department of Forestry and later as an agricultural assistant for the Department of Agriculture, gaining an intimate knowledge of rural Trinidad that has informed much of his fiction.

He studied in the United States at Howard University, Washington (1966-7) and received his MA in English from Johns Hopkins University in 1974. In 1980 he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and spent that year at the University of Iowa. After teaching at a number of other American universities, Lovelace returned to Trinidad in 1982, where he now lives and writes, teaching at the University of the West Indies. A collection of his plays, Jestina's Calypso and Other Plays, was published in 1984.

His first novel, While Gods Are Falling, was published in 1965 and won the British Petroleum Independence Literary Award. It was followed by The Schoolmaster (1968), about the impact of the arrival of a new teacher in a remote community. His third novel, The Dragon Can't Dance (1979), regarded by many critics as his best work, describes the rejuvenating effects of carnival on the inhabitants of a slum on the outskirts of Port of Spain. In The Wine of Astonishment (1982) he examines popular religion through the story of a member of the Baptist Church in a rural village. His most recent novel, Salt, was published in 1996 and won the Commonwealth Writers Prize (Overall Winner, Best Book) in 1997. Set in Trinidad, the book explores the legacy of colonialism and slavery and the problems still faced by the country through the story of Alford George, a teacher turned politician.

Reviews

[Shannah Daisley · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Lovelace’s play, Jestina’s Calypso the main theme is integration. The tragic character Jestina depicts the dual conditions of post independent Trinidad; she is a hideous looking woman but her inner beauty is both powerful and attractive. Trinidad is likened to the tragic character, the nation like Jestina struggles with her identity and self acceptance. Lovelace drums home the fundamental importance of self acceptance. Therefore the point is stressed that Trinidad must be accepted in its entirety (good, bad and the ugly) to achieve its identity and secure future development of the island. The characters depict authentic West Indian personalities which are colourful and lively. The dramatist has expertly adhered to the Aristotelian requirements for an ideal tragedy; with the presents of a street chorus, unity of plot and a tragic heroine.