In the Introduction of the book itself, Mr. Petamber Persaud writes: “First and foremost, this pocketbook, Guyanese Writers of Indian Ancestry, is to mark the centennial end of Indentureship in March 2017… Secondly, there is not much information readily available on Indo-Guyanese Literature and this project will attempt to fill that lacuna.” Mr. Persaud’s own summation of the book is the best possible summary for the work that can be offered to the reader.

It is true that the role of writers of Indian ancestry in our country’s history has played an important role in shaping who we are as a people and as a country and, therefore, the arrival of this pocketbook which offers, in short paragraphs, complete with snapshots of the authors, a literary timeline with which we can trace the writers of Indian ancestry who have played, or are playing, some important role in contributing to the Guyanese literary landscape.

Mr. Persaud’s second point, that there is not much information available on Indo-Guyanese literature is also true, and the pocketbook does yield some valuable insights, not only regarding the literary works themselves, but also interesting information about the authors, while also bringing into relief such writers and writings that have, for whatever reason throughout the years, become lost to the Guyanese consciousness.

Let us take Joseph Ruhomon, for example. According to the book, he was born in the 1800s and was the first writer of East Indian descent to author a publication in what was then British Guiana. Then, another noteworthy figure early in our history, is presented in the form of Charles Ebenezer Joseph Ramcharitar-Lalla, who was known as the “Father of Indian Poetry in Guyana” on account of him being the individual to edit “the first collection of Indian poetry”, An Anthology of Local Indian Verse. While those two names might stand out to individuals who know Guyanese literature, there are other writers with interesting lives and stories who are not so well known.

Do we know about Ada Debidin, who published her first book, Saman Sunset, at 85 and her second book, an anthology of children’s stories, when she was 91? What about another woman writer, and Guyana’s first woman biographer, Betty Lewis, who was also known as Lewis Alyan? How many Guyanese know that the current Minister of Education, Rupert Roopnarine, is an accomplished art critic, essayist and writer of love poems? Do we know the writings of G.R. Banarjee, suave and handsome (according to the picture in the book), who was born in Stewartville on the West Coast of Demerara? Banarjee’s place of birth, made me become aware, with a jolt of realization, that I have yet to find as many local writers in this part of the country as there were in the past. Clive Sankardyal, Raywat Deonandan, Frank M. Birbalsingh, and many others hailed from West Demerara. However, it does appear that a great majority of local writers of Indian ancestry emerged from various locations across Berbice, including David Dabydeen, J. W. Chinapen, Peter Kempadoo, Jan Lowe Shinebourne, Laxmi Kallicharran, and Ryhaan Shah.

Perhaps the best thing about the book is the way it reminds the literary community in Guyana about some of the writers who came before; people who paved the way in harder times for our literary existence, still in rudimentary stages as it is; but nonetheless, giving us a solid foundation that we can use to build the future of Literature in Guyana. The book does not offer any full-fledged, nor entirely developed, biographies of any of the writers, and yet in as quick as a minute you can get some understanding of what at least one of these writers of Indian descent has contributed to the entire canon of work that is known as Guyanese Literature.

Copies of Guyanese Writers of Indian Ancestry can be purchased at Austin’s Book Services or from Mr. Petamber Persaud.