Guanahani, My Love

by Marion Bethel

Poetry. Marion Bethel was born in the Bahamas where she currently lives and works. Her writing has appeared in The Massachusetts Review, River City, and other journals and anthologies. She was awarded the Casa de las Americas Prize for her book of poetry, GUANAHANI, MY LOVE, in 1994. In 1997 she was at the Bunting Institute of Radcliffe College.

Genres: Poetry

68 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Kike Paniagua Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aún estando muy lejos de mi zona de confort, debo reconocerle a este poemario la preciosidad y la profunda belleza de las imágenes que crea la autora aquí.
Hay algunos poemas con los que no he conectado en absoluto, pero en la mayoría se nota un tremendo talento para construir las frases y enlazarlas con una fluidez apasionantes que consiguen transportarte muy lejos.

[Dave Carroll · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished reading Guanahani, My Love, a small book of poetry by Bahamian writer Marion Bethel.

Finding weighty works from The Bahamas turned out to be a challenge not rectified until after I purchased Guanahani, My Love but I now have a better understanding of the fairly modern literary tradition of the archipelagic nation.

Marion Bethel has been a bit of a pioneer, garnering a Latin American literary prize with the Spanish edition of this novel which features poems that were composed in 1991 during the run up to the 500th Anniversary of Columbus' first landing on the Americas at an island the natives called Guanahani but which Columbus renamed Bahamas.

Since decolonization the people of the Caribbean, be they of indigenous, African or East Indian or European extraction, have struggled to find their voice and define their culture.

This small book of poetry was one of those first post-colonial efforts. Of course, I feel that a spare book of poetry only provides me a glimpse of the islands but its discovery led me to a "God's Angry Babies" a novel from Bahamian author Ian G. Strachan, which I dive into next.

Happy reading!

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The preface to Marion Bethel’s prize-winning poetry collection explains that it was written in response to the 1992 celebration of 500 years since Columbus landed in The Bahamas. As such it feels like it not only fights against this history but reclaims the island heritage for its people. It is a collection that is full of nature, legends, and love with women and/or mothers at the center of many, yet also references colonialism and slavery. Sometimes the poems are short with one-word lines, while the longest is barely a page, and the latter worked the best for me. There is a rhythm to many that rewards reading out loud and when Bethel uses rhymes it is in a variety of ways. Favorites are probably too many to mention but include Reggae Prophecy, Jujube Dreams, Miss Jane’s Hands, In the Shallow Seas, Guanahani my love, Blood Moon and Life’s Gamble. A joy to read.

[Abby]

Nancy Morejon says, "Since [the arrival of Columbus], races have blended in The Bahamas creating a new society, a new culture, a new sensitivity, and the best way to acquaint ourselves with them is through its literature." Which is why I was willing to pay far too much for this book (as you pay far too much for everything on islands), and I am at peace about it because Marion Bethel is great. There is the bitterness of colonized peoples in "The Passion," but strength in "And the Trees Still Stand" and peace in "Taino Rebirth." And the fact that you can find all three feelings in the post-Columbian Americas is what keeps me reading.