ANOTHER good example of the ascendency of Guyanese Literature on the world stage is the inclusion of writings by Guyanese in the second edition of a ‘new’ anthology of world writing. The full title of the book is ‘Concert of Voices: An Anthology of World Writing in English’, edited by Victor J. Ramraj. In the second edition of this anthology, Guyanese writers were allotted the same amount of slots, plus one more than the number carried in the first edition, even though the second edition dropped numerous names cited in the first edition, and increased its volume from 490 to 590 pages.
It is useful to be aware of the ambit of world writing in English covered by this anthology – Nigeria, Ghana, India, Jamaica, Canada, Sri Lanka, Trinidad, Barbados, South Africa, Hong Kong, UK, Australia, Philippines, Bangladesh, New Zeeland, Malaysia, Zimbabwe, Iran, Singapore, USA, Fiji, Kenya, St. Kitts, Dominica, St. Lucia, and Western Samoa.
The editor explains that “this vast community extends into every continent, and encompasses many different cultures and traditions.” It is useful to be aware of the magnitude of the content of the writing: While some pieces are preoccupied with “historical and cultural specificities,” others are “bereft of cultural markers and transcend specifics of time and place.” And of course, there is much ‘writing back’.
‘Concert of Voices’ is an ambitious project but consummately executed by the compiler, Victor J. Ramraj.  Ramraj admitted it was a “formidable task” buffeted by numerous constraints which he overcame with his overriding concern for ‘human commonalities’.
In the introduction to both volumes, Ramraj took great pain and pleasure in highlighting the parameters within which he worked: “The selections can be used to show that literature alerts us to the common and shared in human experience, whatever our own particular cultural, ethnic, historical, national, or political attachments – ‘the old Adam is the same.’”
Another endearing quality of this massive anthology is the inclusion of writers who may be slighted by specialised/formal anthologies. Ramraj is humble in his magnanimity, confessing that his collection is not an alternative to existing collections, but complementary to them. Having said that, Ramraj could be given some slack to brag about this immense and wonderful work in which so much is happening – especially reading the text, cognisant of his introductory notes, biographical sketches of writers, explanatory notes, thought-provoking questions and comparisons he poses, all in an effort to induce the reader to the pleasures of further reading.
Against this backdrop, let’s look at the inclusion of Guyanese writers who had to “define themselves in relation to current or residual imperial presences, or to dominant cultures within their societies or to both.”
These selected pieces were identified by “a common language imposed by centuries of British imperial expansion. In many instances, the language has acquired local linguistic features but the various versions retain strong affinities with each other and with British English.”
The Guyanese writers included in this anthology are: Cyril Dabydeen, David Dabydeen, Fred D’Aguiar, Wilson Harris, Arnold Itwaru, Pauline Melville, Sasenarine Persaud, and Janice Shinebourne.
The following biographical notes are extracted from the book:

Cyril Dabydeen was born in Guyana. He came to Canada in 1970 and attended Queen’s University. A poet and fiction writer, he has produced several volumes of poetry, short stories and novellas. He recently won the Guyana Prize for Literature with his novel ‘Drums of my Flesh’.

David Dabydeen was born in Berbice, Guyana. He immigrated to England when he was thirteen years old. He attended the universities of Cambridge and London. His publications include scholarly works, several volumes of poetry, and several novels. He has a long string of awards and honours – the Commonwealth Prize and the Guyana Prize for Literature on numerous occasions among other awards.

Fred D’Aguiar was born in London to Guyanese parents. He spent his early years in Guyana, returning to England in 1972. He is a novelist, poet, and dramatist. He won the Guyana Prize on numerous occasions.

Wilson Harris was born and educated in Guyana, and immigrated in 1959 to England. A strong advocate of common ancestral memory and human commonality, he has lectured widely at universities around the world.’ He is one of Guyana’s most prolific novelists.

Arnold Itwaru, poet and artist, was born in Guyana and immigrated to Canada in 1969. He has written stories, novels, several collections of poetry, and several critical texts.

Pauline Melville was born in Guyana to English and Guyanese (Amerindian) parents. She immigrated to London, England, working there on stage and in film while writing poems and fiction. She has published two collections of stories, and her first novel won the Whitbread Frist Novel Award.

Sasenarine Persaud was born in Guyana. He lived in Toronto before relocating to Miami, Florida. He is a poet, novelist, and critic. He has received the K. M. Hunter Foundation’s 1996 Emerging Artist Award, and the 1999 Arthur Schomburg for his outstanding achievement as an author, poet and literary theorist for pioneering the school of thought, ‘Yogic Realism’.

Janice Shinebourne, nee Lowe, was born and educated in Guyana, relocating to London, England, in 1970. She became a university lecturer and a political and cultural activist. She is a novelist, and also a winner the Guyana Prize.
‘Concert of Voices’ combines poetry, fiction, drama, and essays in an anthology of world literature in English. This second edition preserves the first edition’s breadth and its balance of established and less widely known authors, while including a large selection of exciting new material.
‘Concert of Voices’ also serves to showcase, in yet another form, Guyanese literature on the world stage.

What’s Happening
•     ‘Literature on Television’, comprising of ‘Oral Tradition’ and ‘Between the Lines’, is celebrating its 10th anniversary with the rebroadcast of some signal features including copyright, cultural industries, literary criticism, reading for pleasure, writers workshops, editing, and preparing manuscripts for publication (and literary prizes). Both programmes are aired on NCN; ‘Oral Tradition’ is on Wednesdays at 2035 hours and ‘Between the Lines’ – first Sunday each month at 2100 hours.
•    Look out for details on World Poetry Day, World Storytelling Day and World Book & Copyright Day.

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