PRESIDENT Dr. Irfaan Ali on Wednesday attended a memorial for Dr. Ian McDonald, hailing the late writer as a literary figure of worth and one of the Caribbean’s distinguished sons whose life and work left a lasting mark on Guyana and the wider region.
In a tribute shared on his official Facebook page, the Head of State described Dr. McDonald as Guyana’s “Man of Letters”, noting that although the country was his adopted home, it became part of his very being over the course of his long life.
President Ali said that through his writing, Dr. McDonald celebrated Guyana’s people, its democracy and literature, its rivers and landscapes, and the simple beauty of everyday life.
According to the President, perhaps the writer’s greatest legacy was the philosophy of life captured in his words. Dr. McDonald, he said, reminded readers that a good life is measured not only by what one achieves or accumulates, but by what one notices, loves, gives, and is grateful for.
The President pointed to Dr. McDonald’s ability to find wonder in ordinary things such as a river, the sky, a garden or a hummingbird, moments the writer famously described as “simple shocks of loveliness”.
Extending condolences to the McDonald family, President Ali expressed the endless love and gratitude of the Government and People of Guyana for sharing Dr. McDonald with the country and the region, and for allowing him to give so much of himself to both.
“Continue to rest in peace, Ian McDonald. Guyana acclaims your name,” the President said in closing.