About
Derek Walcott, born in Castries, Saint Lucia, in 1930, is a major figure in Caribbean literature. Of mixed-race heritage, he published his first collection at 18. Co-founder of the Trinidad Theatre Workshop, his work explores tensions between European heritage and Afro-Caribbean culture. His epic poem Omeros (1990) earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1992. He taught at Boston University and received numerous honors, including the T.S. Eliot Prize for White Egrets (2010).
* 1930-01-23 — † 2017-03-17
Major works
- 25 Poems (1948)poetry
- In a Green Night (1962)poetry
- Dream on Monkey Mountain (1967)play
- Omeros (1990)epic poem
- White Egrets (2010)poetry
Key milestones
- 1992Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature
- 1981Received a MacArthur Fellowship
- 2016Knighted as Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Lucia
Themes
post-colonial identitycolonial legacytension between European traditionhistory and memoryCaribbean landscape
Sources: beta.nobelprize.org · britannica.com
