If I Could Write This in Fire

<DIV><p>In this unprecedented collection Pamela Maria Smorkaloff brings together fiction from the French- Spanish- and English-speaking Caribbean much of it translated here for the first time. The book's wide-ranging and diverse selections address the central themes of the region's literature: the plantation maroon society colonial education rural and urban life women's changing roles in the modern Caribbean exile and the diaspora. Works include Jamaican author James Carnegie's powerful novella <em>Wages Paid</em> about a day in the life of a slave plantation a selection by noted Guadeloupan novelist Simone Schwarz-Brat Puerto Rican short stories from Ana Lydia Vega and fiction from the Dominican Republic Cuba St. Kitts and Barbados. Together they offer the first picture of a Caribbean voice and aesthetic and an extensive bibliography of further reading invites students scholars and others to explore beyond this initial collection.</p><p>From Columbus' diaries on the Caribbean has been the scene onto which a steady stream of myths has been imposed <em>If I Could Write This in Fire</em> offers the first collection of authentic Caribbean voices-a small set of gems that will introduce readers to a rich and lyric tradition.</p><BR></DIV>