What do you think?
Rate this book
The Duppy
Book by Winkler, Anthony C.
185 pages, Paperback
First published December 31, 1996
19 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
About the author
Anthony C. Winkler
68 books39 followersAnthony C. Winkler was a successful Jamaican novelist and popular contributor to many post-secondary English literary texts.
See Wikipedia
See Wikipedia
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
August 24, 2018
Duppy - /ˈdəpē/ noun - the duppy is an evil spirit or ghost. The term originated in Jamaican folktales.
One Saturday morning Thaddeus Augustus Baps died and turned into a duppy. While he was contemplating all the earthly mischief he might get up to, a spirit arrived to escort him to Heaven. This being Jamaican Heaven, it involved a ride on a minibus, followed by a crawl through a culvert. And, that's when things started to get really weird . . .
I cleared my throat. "Now what?"
"You dead and reach heaven. Enjoy yourself," she advised indifferently, her frizzy head ducked deep inside the open paper.
"How? Doing what?"
"Whatever you want!"
"Nothing happen today like it say in scripture. You don't even look like an angel. Angel not supposed to be so meaty."
"I am not a damn angel!" she growled, peering up crossly at me and sounding vexed. "I am a Jamaican! If you want angel, you have to migrate to America and join sheep heaven."
Things got even wackier when the lecherous, cantankerous Baps met God, and the two hit it off - hilariously. Their bromance, filled with conversations, and arguments, is hilarious. This is the funniest book I've read in a long, long time. Witness the trip our two main characters make to American Heaven, a place of "compulsory bliss."
A robed shepherd stopped his harp-plunking and peered down at us over the edge of his cloud. "Foreigner," he cried, "wouldst thou like to sit on my cloud with me and my sheep?"
"Not a backside!" Egbert bawled. "I not sitting with no sheep 'pon no cloud! I am Jamaican duppy! We don't walk wid sheep, we curry dem!"
This one is probably not for everyone. There's loads of sex, sexism, politically incorrect shenanigans, blasphemy, and a man with a penis on his forehead. Naturally, I loved it.
One Saturday morning Thaddeus Augustus Baps died and turned into a duppy. While he was contemplating all the earthly mischief he might get up to, a spirit arrived to escort him to Heaven. This being Jamaican Heaven, it involved a ride on a minibus, followed by a crawl through a culvert. And, that's when things started to get really weird . . .
I cleared my throat. "Now what?"
"You dead and reach heaven. Enjoy yourself," she advised indifferently, her frizzy head ducked deep inside the open paper.
"How? Doing what?"
"Whatever you want!"
"Nothing happen today like it say in scripture. You don't even look like an angel. Angel not supposed to be so meaty."
"I am not a damn angel!" she growled, peering up crossly at me and sounding vexed. "I am a Jamaican! If you want angel, you have to migrate to America and join sheep heaven."
Things got even wackier when the lecherous, cantankerous Baps met God, and the two hit it off - hilariously. Their bromance, filled with conversations, and arguments, is hilarious. This is the funniest book I've read in a long, long time. Witness the trip our two main characters make to American Heaven, a place of "compulsory bliss."
A robed shepherd stopped his harp-plunking and peered down at us over the edge of his cloud. "Foreigner," he cried, "wouldst thou like to sit on my cloud with me and my sheep?"
"Not a backside!" Egbert bawled. "I not sitting with no sheep 'pon no cloud! I am Jamaican duppy! We don't walk wid sheep, we curry dem!"
This one is probably not for everyone. There's loads of sex, sexism, politically incorrect shenanigans, blasphemy, and a man with a penis on his forehead. Naturally, I loved it.
January 31, 2021
This is one of the funniest books I've read in years ! It is very satirical and some would say politically incorrect, but the author manages to use his satire, caricature and bawdy humour to present a very real condemnatory image of not just Jamaica, but the rest of world and human kind. Winkler tackles politics, social issues and even the cultural habits of his fellow Jamaicans. It is a festival of laughs from the time Baps drops dead and becomes a "duppy" ( ghost ) to his ignominious journey to the muddy culvert that is the portal between Jamaica and Heaven. I laughed a lot when Baps was astonished to hear that unlike Jamaicans, the Americans have an automated portal system that takes their dead souls to heaven. It seems that even in the after life the Americans have managed to create a more efficient system. Lol. Baps is a guy who, while he was alive, tried to implement his brand of discipline on the rowdy, unruly and uncivilized fellow Jamaicans who came to buy things from his shop. Baps has a rather unique philosophy of business. Baps' main concern in Heaven ( aside from getting a lot of generous "grinding" and "pum pum" from overweight women ) was " how to run a respectable shop that exerted rulership and discipline over ..." other people.
The first was easy because "none shall lack pum pum in Heaven." The second was tricky for Baps because the shop's customers were unruly and refused to adhere to his disciplinary standards of behaviour. Bap wants to teach Hector how to run the shop but the latter is confused and asks:
"Discipline sah?" He seemed stunned at this far reaching concept of shop keeping. "We not just out to sell salt fish and flour ?"
What's even funnier is that Hector has no interest in Baps' desire to implement disciplinary standards for customers. Hector just wants to fill out a form so he can go on the list that will get him a huge "hood" ( penis ).
Then there's this philosopher in Heaven who does nothing literally because he spends all his time thinking ( living inside his head) and accusing others of trying to get inside his thoughts and warp them. Winkler portrays the American Heaven as being very politically correct: all its officials have huge white wings and their best friends are sheep. The sheep serve a dual purpose: the first is the obvious Biblical symbolism of the animal itself and the second is the fact that sheep are known to be followers. I really laughed at that not so big hint by Winkler that the best friends of the American government are those that tend to follow where they lead. When one thinks that Winkler published this in 1996/7, he was probably writing it during the late years of the Bush (senior ) administration and the early years of Clinton's first years in office. A little research into American Foreign Policy during Mr. Bush's administration will perhaps explain why Winkler takes this stance in this novel.
The Americans are even mad at God and have taken out a Federal warrant for his arrest because he hasn't listened to them and created a Hell. And God is portrayed as a "peenywally" ( firefly ) although he later takes the form of a man as he and Baps make a trip to the American heaven.
What a wonderfully comic and entertaining novel ! I could write a treatise on this novel but it is better if one reads it and experiences all the funny things first hand. It is books like these that remind me why I love analyzing literature so much. Winkler is very skilled at using satire to explore socio-political and economic issues that bothered him. He is as cutting in his mockery of his own Jamaican political system as he is of the then U.S. administration. Religion as an institution also gets a bit of attention in this novel. The writer uses the first person narrative technique and this truly allows the reader to be with Baps and experience all his pitfalls and jubilation as he navigates his way through the wonders of Heaven. In the final analysis, Heaven ends up being different things to different people.
The first was easy because "none shall lack pum pum in Heaven." The second was tricky for Baps because the shop's customers were unruly and refused to adhere to his disciplinary standards of behaviour. Bap wants to teach Hector how to run the shop but the latter is confused and asks:
"Discipline sah?" He seemed stunned at this far reaching concept of shop keeping. "We not just out to sell salt fish and flour ?"
What's even funnier is that Hector has no interest in Baps' desire to implement disciplinary standards for customers. Hector just wants to fill out a form so he can go on the list that will get him a huge "hood" ( penis ).
Then there's this philosopher in Heaven who does nothing literally because he spends all his time thinking ( living inside his head) and accusing others of trying to get inside his thoughts and warp them. Winkler portrays the American Heaven as being very politically correct: all its officials have huge white wings and their best friends are sheep. The sheep serve a dual purpose: the first is the obvious Biblical symbolism of the animal itself and the second is the fact that sheep are known to be followers. I really laughed at that not so big hint by Winkler that the best friends of the American government are those that tend to follow where they lead. When one thinks that Winkler published this in 1996/7, he was probably writing it during the late years of the Bush (senior ) administration and the early years of Clinton's first years in office. A little research into American Foreign Policy during Mr. Bush's administration will perhaps explain why Winkler takes this stance in this novel.
The Americans are even mad at God and have taken out a Federal warrant for his arrest because he hasn't listened to them and created a Hell. And God is portrayed as a "peenywally" ( firefly ) although he later takes the form of a man as he and Baps make a trip to the American heaven.
What a wonderfully comic and entertaining novel ! I could write a treatise on this novel but it is better if one reads it and experiences all the funny things first hand. It is books like these that remind me why I love analyzing literature so much. Winkler is very skilled at using satire to explore socio-political and economic issues that bothered him. He is as cutting in his mockery of his own Jamaican political system as he is of the then U.S. administration. Religion as an institution also gets a bit of attention in this novel. The writer uses the first person narrative technique and this truly allows the reader to be with Baps and experience all his pitfalls and jubilation as he navigates his way through the wonders of Heaven. In the final analysis, Heaven ends up being different things to different people.
April 5, 2022
Hope is reserved for people who culminate a story with a one- or two-star review.
I left it at about 70% read.
This entire nonsense (not a novel) is as if Christopher Moore and Henderson the Rain King (a fictional character) had a wayward and inimical son.
One star may be too much.
I left it at about 70% read.
This entire nonsense (not a novel) is as if Christopher Moore and Henderson the Rain King (a fictional character) had a wayward and inimical son.
One star may be too much.
Read
January 21, 2009Read the STOP SMILING review of The Duppy:
Anthony C. Winkler’s The Duppy is the most laugh-out-loud funny novel I’ve read in years. Chronicling the death and afterlife of Taddeus Baps, Jamaican shopkeeper cum “duppy” — island slang for soul or ghost — the book blends postmodern metafiction with folklorist regionalism in a raucous contemporary satire of the wages of sin.
Read the complete STOP SMILING reivew...
Anthony C. Winkler’s The Duppy is the most laugh-out-loud funny novel I’ve read in years. Chronicling the death and afterlife of Taddeus Baps, Jamaican shopkeeper cum “duppy” — island slang for soul or ghost — the book blends postmodern metafiction with folklorist regionalism in a raucous contemporary satire of the wages of sin.
Read the complete STOP SMILING reivew...
August 19, 2019
"One Saturday morning, not very long ago, I dropped dead and turned into a duppy".
In The Duppy, Anthony C. Winkler gives us an uproariously funny take on Heaven and God. After dying unexpectedly, Taddeus Agustus Baps find himself on a journey to heaven via a crowded minibus, through a canepiece and then a culvert. After seeing his maid and gardener remove his money from his wallet, Baps wants to stay behind and teach them a lesson. But is promised greater delights in heaven.
After a very lively journey, Baps arrives in heaven, only to be met with a rock to the head. And far from the pain that you might expect, Baps is overcome with sweet, sweet ecstasy. Upon completing registration, he is unsure of what to do with his time and begins bringing order to Miss B's village shop. Thus begins Baps' integration into heavenly society.
With engaging prose and lots of funny instances, Winkler takes his readers on a unique, utterly Jamaican jaunt through heaven. There is nothing but pure freedom in heaven. One can grind an inordinate amount of times, with whomever one wishes, that is . In fact, Miss B loans Baps out fairly regularly to her friends and customers. At church, when one is moved with the spirit, one can simply reach across and grope whatever body part one wishes (this shocks Baps, who must accede to a compromise with Miss B), even those of the elders.
When Miss B is reborn, Baps is left in charge of her shop and immediately sets about changing how business is done, mirroring his earthly shop practices. He implements a cash-only buying system, introduces restriction on the amount of goods to be bought at any one time, tells his customers to practice fiscal restraint, as well as cooking the account books.
Later, when Baps comes upon a group of American university students stoning God, he decides that he will not stand by and let anyone disrespect the Almighty. This leads to Baps becoming quite interested in discovering why the Americans have a warrant out on God, and seem to dislike him so much, and so a trip to American heaven is undertaken. Baps finds that American heaven is very restrictive, arrivals are heavily screened, regulated and all non-Americans have to behave with the utmost discretion. Throughout his investigation, Baps discovers that what has riled the Americans into a frenzy to arrest God, is so they can implement a very capitalistic heaven. They also want to establish a 'hell', where those deemed as having lived a life of deviancy and violence can be punished accordingly. The fact that God disagrees with this and thus created heaven for everyone, does not sit well with the Americans. In an attempt to make things clear to Baps about what it really takes to be a Creator, God bestows powers upon him that allow him to design a world and creations to oversee for himself. After a century, Baps finally has to admit to himself that to run a world and deal with the problems and batty-kissing of his 'magnum opus', is more than he can take.
The style of writing that Winkler employs here allows the reader to become so engrossed in Baps' adventures and experiences in heaven, that one wants to become a part of this one-of-a-kind cast of characters. It is witty, hilarious and presents a satirical view at prejudices, notions and stereotypes of a post-colonial Jamaica.
#JamaicasLiteraryHeritage
In The Duppy, Anthony C. Winkler gives us an uproariously funny take on Heaven and God. After dying unexpectedly, Taddeus Agustus Baps find himself on a journey to heaven via a crowded minibus, through a canepiece and then a culvert. After seeing his maid and gardener remove his money from his wallet, Baps wants to stay behind and teach them a lesson. But is promised greater delights in heaven.
After a very lively journey, Baps arrives in heaven, only to be met with a rock to the head. And far from the pain that you might expect, Baps is overcome with sweet, sweet ecstasy. Upon completing registration, he is unsure of what to do with his time and begins bringing order to Miss B's village shop. Thus begins Baps' integration into heavenly society.
With engaging prose and lots of funny instances, Winkler takes his readers on a unique, utterly Jamaican jaunt through heaven. There is nothing but pure freedom in heaven. One can grind an inordinate amount of times, with whomever one wishes, that is . In fact, Miss B loans Baps out fairly regularly to her friends and customers. At church, when one is moved with the spirit, one can simply reach across and grope whatever body part one wishes (this shocks Baps, who must accede to a compromise with Miss B), even those of the elders.
When Miss B is reborn, Baps is left in charge of her shop and immediately sets about changing how business is done, mirroring his earthly shop practices. He implements a cash-only buying system, introduces restriction on the amount of goods to be bought at any one time, tells his customers to practice fiscal restraint, as well as cooking the account books.
Later, when Baps comes upon a group of American university students stoning God, he decides that he will not stand by and let anyone disrespect the Almighty. This leads to Baps becoming quite interested in discovering why the Americans have a warrant out on God, and seem to dislike him so much, and so a trip to American heaven is undertaken. Baps finds that American heaven is very restrictive, arrivals are heavily screened, regulated and all non-Americans have to behave with the utmost discretion. Throughout his investigation, Baps discovers that what has riled the Americans into a frenzy to arrest God, is so they can implement a very capitalistic heaven. They also want to establish a 'hell', where those deemed as having lived a life of deviancy and violence can be punished accordingly. The fact that God disagrees with this and thus created heaven for everyone, does not sit well with the Americans. In an attempt to make things clear to Baps about what it really takes to be a Creator, God bestows powers upon him that allow him to design a world and creations to oversee for himself. After a century, Baps finally has to admit to himself that to run a world and deal with the problems and batty-kissing of his 'magnum opus', is more than he can take.
The style of writing that Winkler employs here allows the reader to become so engrossed in Baps' adventures and experiences in heaven, that one wants to become a part of this one-of-a-kind cast of characters. It is witty, hilarious and presents a satirical view at prejudices, notions and stereotypes of a post-colonial Jamaica.
#JamaicasLiteraryHeritage
February 15, 2015
A duppy [ghost] relates ribald & amusing anecdotes of Jamaican heaven.
The Duppy is an entertaining, quick read, imo. I read another of Winkler's books (The Lunatic) a couple of years ago & quite enjoyed it. His books do seem to make the most Jamaican patois, raunchy humor, & outlook on life. Looking at Winkler's books on the Akashic Books site, it looks like ebook versions (nook, ibook, kobo, kindle) of his books are just $2.99 for the month of February (2015).
It's kind of interesting because a year or two ago, I read Sweet Dreams by Michael Frayn, another book about heaven/the afterlife. In Sweet Dreams, God is an unassuming Englishman & it was just a lovely, humorous, charming, understated book. The Duppy is similar, with an overall happy vibe, but more of the laid-back, go with the flow, raucous atmosphere one might expect in Jamaica. They might make a fun duo of books to read together.
The Duppy is an entertaining, quick read, imo. I read another of Winkler's books (The Lunatic) a couple of years ago & quite enjoyed it. His books do seem to make the most Jamaican patois, raunchy humor, & outlook on life. Looking at Winkler's books on the Akashic Books site, it looks like ebook versions (nook, ibook, kobo, kindle) of his books are just $2.99 for the month of February (2015).
It's kind of interesting because a year or two ago, I read Sweet Dreams by Michael Frayn, another book about heaven/the afterlife. In Sweet Dreams, God is an unassuming Englishman & it was just a lovely, humorous, charming, understated book. The Duppy is similar, with an overall happy vibe, but more of the laid-back, go with the flow, raucous atmosphere one might expect in Jamaica. They might make a fun duo of books to read together.
May 29, 2017
This book was more philosophical than I expected it to be, with profound insight buried within sarcastic comments and outrageous events. This work of speculative fiction speaks about the spiritual condition of humans and how much we invest in suffering as a way to enforce 'justice'. It attempts to show how our 'shoulds' keep us from enjoying what is. I finished this book feeling like there was a tremendous amount being communicated by the author within its brief pages, and I felt certain that this book was a cultural critique of contemporary society.
April 13, 2011
Winkle has a way with language and description that is not often encountered. He integrated a true feeling of Jamaican-ness into his story (perhaps a little overdone but well overdone…) creating a hilarious heavenly world with angelic sheep and ’nuff pum-pum (sex). His version of Jamaican heaven plays of the idea each Caribbean island holds, that God is (in this case) Jamaica and that their island is heaven on Earth. Winkler always manages to touch on some of the many social issues affecting the island and this book was first published in a time when the after effects of year of socialism were still affecting Jamaica which Winkler picks up in a semi-disdain full manner. The book, while touching such issues, manages to be light hearted and make gentle fun of Jamaica and American culture and beliefs, something which I will always approve of!
Compared to the only other Anthony Winkler book I’ve read (The Lunatic) it felt a little forced. He likes to play with controversial concepts and at some points it seemed almost like he was trying too hard to push buttons at the detriment of the actual plot.
The story managed to be light and funny while touching on some important social and religious issues, always a hard feat to attempt. Winkle pulled it off gracefully and while I am not sure I will be rereading this particular book soon, I am looking forward to reading some of his other works and would happily recommend this book to anyone looking for something different and entertaining!
This review was originally posted at BaffledBooks.
Compared to the only other Anthony Winkler book I’ve read (The Lunatic) it felt a little forced. He likes to play with controversial concepts and at some points it seemed almost like he was trying too hard to push buttons at the detriment of the actual plot.
The story managed to be light and funny while touching on some important social and religious issues, always a hard feat to attempt. Winkle pulled it off gracefully and while I am not sure I will be rereading this particular book soon, I am looking forward to reading some of his other works and would happily recommend this book to anyone looking for something different and entertaining!
This review was originally posted at BaffledBooks.
September 8, 2012
This book is rated J for Jamaican. Foreigners are advised to have a West Indian on hand to translate.
Not for true. Most terms can be inferred from context. This was hilarious and rather sweet. Recommended. There's no plot as such, or rather it follows the old Man Vs Himself personal journey (y halo there secondary school lit). Tension comes from how dense Baps is and how it takes him so long to clue in. A quick read, I enjoyed it and it will be making the rounds through my relatives and friends who are in my basic area.
Features lots of swearing and offcamera sex, for those who have never read a Winkler book before.
Not for true. Most terms can be inferred from context. This was hilarious and rather sweet. Recommended. There's no plot as such, or rather it follows the old Man Vs Himself personal journey (y halo there secondary school lit). Tension comes from how dense Baps is and how it takes him so long to clue in. A quick read, I enjoyed it and it will be making the rounds through my relatives and friends who are in my basic area.
Features lots of swearing and offcamera sex, for those who have never read a Winkler book before.
May 31, 2010
Love it. Possibly my absolute favourite. this book always makes me laugh and keeps me grounded.
Thank you so very much Mr. Winkler.Life would be so much simple if everyone recognised God and humanity like this!
Thank you so very much Mr. Winkler.Life would be so much simple if everyone recognised God and humanity like this!
August 10, 2011
Totally Jamaican classic comedy with a twist of controversy. It touches on religion, social casting, inhibitions, and boils them down in a cultural stew of Jamaican patois, beliefs and every day life.
Read
July 30, 2011"One Saturday morning, not very long ago, I dropped dead and turned into a duppy." Definitely unconventional!
October 16, 2011
Nonsense.
September 5, 2018
3.5 stars - Definitely worth a chuckle or two (or ten).
Judging by the number of reader reviews on GR, Winkler isn't especially well-known outside of his native Jamaica. Perhaps that is due to the very region-specific sense of humor that he employs in his work, but even those relatively unfamiliar with Caribbean culture and patois will appreciate the biting satire of this book. It's bawdy and often inappropriate, but it also captures a very specific type of character that is nonetheless rather charming in his ridiculousness. It's surprisingly hard to resist a story where a sexist, elitist blowhard becomes God's best friend and leads him to all sorts of shenanigans in myriad, ever more ridiculous versions of heaven (there is, after all, no such thing as hell). Mr. Baps is hardly Dante, and his misadventures far less profound, but one can't help learning just a little bit of something about the human condition by the end of the book.
If nothing else, I'd have to thank Winkler (I think) for adding the words "pum-pum" and "hood" to my vocabulary...
Judging by the number of reader reviews on GR, Winkler isn't especially well-known outside of his native Jamaica. Perhaps that is due to the very region-specific sense of humor that he employs in his work, but even those relatively unfamiliar with Caribbean culture and patois will appreciate the biting satire of this book. It's bawdy and often inappropriate, but it also captures a very specific type of character that is nonetheless rather charming in his ridiculousness. It's surprisingly hard to resist a story where a sexist, elitist blowhard becomes God's best friend and leads him to all sorts of shenanigans in myriad, ever more ridiculous versions of heaven (there is, after all, no such thing as hell). Mr. Baps is hardly Dante, and his misadventures far less profound, but one can't help learning just a little bit of something about the human condition by the end of the book.
If nothing else, I'd have to thank Winkler (I think) for adding the words "pum-pum" and "hood" to my vocabulary...
January 1, 2019
Winkler is a fantastic story-teller who captures the everyday vicissitudes of Jamaican culture with a unique vividness. This story was chock full of local vernacular and references which were delightful to read and downright hilarious!
I gave three stars because, whilst I found the story to be unique, funny and interesting, it was all too fantastical for me. Also, as someone who is non-religious, the overwhelming religiosity of the story (albeit ‘progressive’ and unorthodox) caused me to loose interest in the story after a while.
Very funny. Very interesting. VERY fantastical. Won’t read again.
I gave three stars because, whilst I found the story to be unique, funny and interesting, it was all too fantastical for me. Also, as someone who is non-religious, the overwhelming religiosity of the story (albeit ‘progressive’ and unorthodox) caused me to loose interest in the story after a while.
Very funny. Very interesting. VERY fantastical. Won’t read again.
March 18, 2020
Baps a local shopkeeper in Jamaica drops dead one day and is transported to heaven via minibus, he soon discovers contrary to what he thought how much heaven resembles Jamaica. A very interesting take on the afterlife, where all previous beliefs and teachings about heaven are quashed. Winkler uses his imagination to the fullest to describe this experience, which is different across nationalities. It was an interesting take. There were comedic moments throughout which I enjoyed, but I felt it dragged on at times and was repetitive (we get it! You’re big on riding) so wasn’t the book for me.
Read
January 25, 2021Global Read Challenge 44: Jamaica
This was a fun take on the afterlife and a good skewering of America. Sometimes it tried to be a touch too profound, but other than that it was a pretty light fun read.
This was a fun take on the afterlife and a good skewering of America. Sometimes it tried to be a touch too profound, but other than that it was a pretty light fun read.
February 20, 2022
Absolutely Entertaining
This was not politically correct but so fun to read and I enjoyed every minute of it. I can’t wait to read his other work. It was laugh out loud. Baps could be hard headed at times though but overall I enjoyed it.
This was not politically correct but so fun to read and I enjoyed every minute of it. I can’t wait to read his other work. It was laugh out loud. Baps could be hard headed at times though but overall I enjoyed it.
May 13, 2022
A quick and easy read that I think reminds me of Vonnegut but I haven’t read any Vonnegut in a decade so I might be wrong. I enjoyed the satirical stuff from the first half more than the spiritual stuff in the second but still a very nice book to read while sitting on your patio in the sun
February 15, 2020
Warning: Do not read this book in public places. Outbursts of dutty laughs guaranteed to garner strange looks from onlookers.
May 14, 2020
This book is about a Jamaican man who dies and goes to heaven. Heaven is like a glorified Jamaica. I know it was meant to be funny but it just didn't appeal to me.
June 27, 2024
A fun read. I appreciated the island culture. Certainly not great literature. just a fun read.
Read
March 25, 2025laten we zeggen dat het een product van zn eigen tijd is maar laten we ook zeggen: wat de hel heb ik zojuist gelezen??
January 14, 2026
Be good for goodness sake. Bad things happen on earth because God gave us free will, but earth needs free will to function properly. We have to experience bad to appreciate good.
November 9, 2012
"One Saturday morning, not very long ago, I dropped dead and turned into a duppy" [that is, a sort of Jamaican ghost]. Thus begins The Duppy. The rest relates Taddeus Augustus Baps's experiences in Jamaican heaven, with a side trip along with God and a doubting philosopher to the American heaven. The Jamaican heaven is sort of a glorified Jamaica, where everything makes one happy--including beatings & getting run over by a bus--and a person has all the sex one wants . . . and more. The other key factor is that there is no hell; everyone goes to heaven. This, of course, does not sit well with the Americans. In their sharply contrasting heaven, residents in white robes sit on clouds playing harps while sheep safely graze nearby. But they're upset with God about the absence of hell. "I met a gentleman from Chicago and he explained to me that without a hell, there was no point in heaven. He told me that on earth he had been a loyal Republican, a taxpayer, a war veteran, and if he had known that he would die and go to Democrat heaven, he would have killed himself. I asked him what difference killing himself would have made, and he said that suicides went immediately back to earth, taking the shape of the first available body--whether human, worm, animal, or bug. He was quite bitter and said that even if he had recycled back to earth as a dog and ended up in a Chinyman's stew pot, it would still have been better than to find himself in a nasty Democrat heaven where thrifty wage-earners had to enjoy the same pleasures as hardened gas-guzzlers and crooks. I asked him why he kept calling it a Democrat heaven and he growled and said because it was just the kind of heaven a pork-barrel Democrat hog would think up: freeness everywhere; compulsory laughter and joy; no struggle or pain. He said that in Republican heaven every man would have a different size cloud depending on his own initiative and sweat. None of this ugly standardization of cloud, sheep, and harp. If a soul worked hard, he would earn a bigger cloud, louder harp, fatter sheep. If he was idle and good-for-nothing, he would end up on a mash-up cloud with only scrawny sheep for company. And if he didn't make his monthly payments, the bank would repossess his cloud and pitch him out on the street.
'You can't have homeless man in heaven!' I objected.
'Why not?' he growled.
'Because de man is dead. Him reach heaven!'
'That's just a technicality,' he snapped. Then he added, 'Maybe God isn't moral, but America is!'" (115-16)
I read this passage on election night, which added to the amusement.
Later, when Baps is making his own complaints to God about aspects of creation, God (who has become his close friend) urges him to try his hand to see if he could do better. At first he resists, but eventually he starts "writing down my ideas for a better world in an exercise book.
This was hard work. The world is not as easy to create as it looks. But I had in mind certain improvements I would immediately make in my creation.
First and foremost, I would create a fart-free woman. I don't care what anybody say, a farting woman is a hardship on creation.
On the other hand, I didn't want to deprive woman of a luscious-looking part she needs for wriggling up on the street and in a dancehall. So my improved woman that I drew up in an exercise book had a fat batty for wiggling, but one that discharged no fart." (149)
This gives you a taste for the book's humor. It's often mildly amusing, sometimes a little more than that, but much of it is pretty juvenile humor, and it doesn't add up to much.
'You can't have homeless man in heaven!' I objected.
'Why not?' he growled.
'Because de man is dead. Him reach heaven!'
'That's just a technicality,' he snapped. Then he added, 'Maybe God isn't moral, but America is!'" (115-16)
I read this passage on election night, which added to the amusement.
Later, when Baps is making his own complaints to God about aspects of creation, God (who has become his close friend) urges him to try his hand to see if he could do better. At first he resists, but eventually he starts "writing down my ideas for a better world in an exercise book.
This was hard work. The world is not as easy to create as it looks. But I had in mind certain improvements I would immediately make in my creation.
First and foremost, I would create a fart-free woman. I don't care what anybody say, a farting woman is a hardship on creation.
On the other hand, I didn't want to deprive woman of a luscious-looking part she needs for wriggling up on the street and in a dancehall. So my improved woman that I drew up in an exercise book had a fat batty for wiggling, but one that discharged no fart." (149)
This gives you a taste for the book's humor. It's often mildly amusing, sometimes a little more than that, but much of it is pretty juvenile humor, and it doesn't add up to much.
July 18, 2020
UNEXPECTED YET WONDERFUL
THE DUPPY was not what I expected. I expected a tale of haunting Jamaican folklore, a burning bull stalking the murky pathways, restless spirits terrorizing nights that were unprotected by electric lighting. Instead, I got an insider's look at life in small villages, an outsider's view of my American self and another story of stark faith from the author of the amazing THE PAINTED CANOE, although the former is stealthily inserted. I wouldn't ask for more! I love reading Winkler's gentle patois and I love the way his world bridges backwater villages with a university education. I especially love his earthy, off-beat humor and warmth. In THE DUPPY, the duppy, dead shopkeeper Taddeus Baps journeys through a drain pipe to Jamaican heaven where it is not uncommon to make love thirty or more times a night. He and his best friend (God!) and a stray existentialist board a plane for the American heaven, replete with sheep (which can also be used as weapons), harps and clouds, and we soon see a strange yet accurate vision of ourselves. Eventually, Taddeus and the Almighty continue on to the farthest reaches of God's universe. "Pearly starlight brushed my nakedness like cool spring water, and I gloried in the exultation of winging through the heavens on the shimmering light of God." Baps cannot completely free himself from his earthly life and when he decides the stellar journey is best accomplished while nude, his 'inner parson' admonishes him about "...exposing de purity of de starlight to nasty batty..."
Taddeus and the Lord have adventures and Taddeus learns the main rule of heaven:"Thou Shalt feel good no matter what." He also learns God's secret-His inability to abide pain! In this Jamaican heaven, we find everything we find on earth, including beatings, shootings, bombings and grinding, lots of grinding, yet EACH is a pleasurable experience. Taddeus objects to this and is allowed the gift of creation. As Taddeus learns that God is not deep, that men are: that God's rule is simple, Love One another, I can not help but question my own religious views. This isn't comfortable, but in this cool Jamaican setting one does not HAVE to ponder, one can simply enjoy the read! I prefer to do both and again, stand in wonder at Mr. Winkler. Bravo!
THE DUPPY was not what I expected. I expected a tale of haunting Jamaican folklore, a burning bull stalking the murky pathways, restless spirits terrorizing nights that were unprotected by electric lighting. Instead, I got an insider's look at life in small villages, an outsider's view of my American self and another story of stark faith from the author of the amazing THE PAINTED CANOE, although the former is stealthily inserted. I wouldn't ask for more! I love reading Winkler's gentle patois and I love the way his world bridges backwater villages with a university education. I especially love his earthy, off-beat humor and warmth. In THE DUPPY, the duppy, dead shopkeeper Taddeus Baps journeys through a drain pipe to Jamaican heaven where it is not uncommon to make love thirty or more times a night. He and his best friend (God!) and a stray existentialist board a plane for the American heaven, replete with sheep (which can also be used as weapons), harps and clouds, and we soon see a strange yet accurate vision of ourselves. Eventually, Taddeus and the Almighty continue on to the farthest reaches of God's universe. "Pearly starlight brushed my nakedness like cool spring water, and I gloried in the exultation of winging through the heavens on the shimmering light of God." Baps cannot completely free himself from his earthly life and when he decides the stellar journey is best accomplished while nude, his 'inner parson' admonishes him about "...exposing de purity of de starlight to nasty batty..."
Taddeus and the Lord have adventures and Taddeus learns the main rule of heaven:"Thou Shalt feel good no matter what." He also learns God's secret-His inability to abide pain! In this Jamaican heaven, we find everything we find on earth, including beatings, shootings, bombings and grinding, lots of grinding, yet EACH is a pleasurable experience. Taddeus objects to this and is allowed the gift of creation. As Taddeus learns that God is not deep, that men are: that God's rule is simple, Love One another, I can not help but question my own religious views. This isn't comfortable, but in this cool Jamaican setting one does not HAVE to ponder, one can simply enjoy the read! I prefer to do both and again, stand in wonder at Mr. Winkler. Bravo!
January 1, 2010
I don't why I thought Winkler was a mystery writer, but The Duppy is more of a hippie Mark Twain novel, where our narrator goes to heaven and talks with God, a screws a lot of angel women, and has a few quirky adventures. This is the kind of Kurt Vonnegut, Tom Robbins fare that I loved when I was 19. It's sort of dogmatic in its anti-dogmatism and a bit smug and condescending in its humor. The prose is fine. Winkler's got the conversational tone down perfectly, and he certainly captures some sort of patois (though I only trust it's authentic because he's from Jamaica), but this book just doesn't amount to much of a story.
May 3, 2008
A strange book that I wouldn't necessarily recommend. You must push through the first third of the book before there are some interesting and profound things to think about, particulary whether or not you are a "shouldist" (one who does not accept things as they are but insists they be as they think they should be). Interesting...
January 22, 2010
This is the 3rd Winkler book I've read and not my fave. I felt he had an interesting idea, but was purposefully trying to push buttons and kind of buried the idea along the way.
His concepts of heaven were definitely interesting to read and I liked the way he wrapped Jamaican opinions of Americans into how they would behave in heaven.
His concepts of heaven were definitely interesting to read and I liked the way he wrapped Jamaican opinions of Americans into how they would behave in heaven.
January 29, 2016
The first half of this book is magic and actually had me laughing out loud in public so often on holiday that i feared folks around thought I was mad. But the tale of a Duppy (ghost) going to heaven on a Jamaican minibus looses its way somewhere in the middle and left me wishing that the journey would end.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews