Jamaican literature is internationally renowned, with the island of Jamaica being the home or birthplace of many important authors. One of the most distinctive aspects of Jamaican literature is its use of the localdialect — a variation of English, the country's official language. Known to Jamaicans as "patois", and now sometimes described as "nation language", this creole has become an important element in Jamaican fiction, poetry and theater. Notable writers and intellectuals from elsewhere in the Caribbean region studied at the University of the West Indies in Kingston, including St. Lucian Nobel prize-winner, Derek Walcott, the late Guyanese historian and scholar Walter Rodney, and Grenadian poet and short story writerMerle Collins.
Folk beginnings
The tradition of storytelling in Jamaica is a long one, beginning with folktales told by the slaves during the colonial period. Jamaica's folk stories are most closely associated with those of the Ashanti tribe in West Africa, from which many of the slaves originated. Some European tales were also brought to the island by immigrants, particularly those from the United Kingdom. In folktales, the local speech style is particularly necessary. It infuses humor into the stories, and is an integral part of the retelling. Perhaps the most popular character in Jamaican tales, Anancy is an African spider-god who makes an appearance in tales throughout the Caribbean region. He is a trickster god, and often goes against other animal-god characters, like Tiger and Donkey, in his stories. These stories are thought to be one way the slaves told about outsmarting their owners as well.
Development of the literature
Jamaican Thomas MacDermot is credited with fostering the creation of Jamaican literature, and his Becka's Buckra Baby as the beginning of modern Caribbean literature. Jamaican-born Claude McKay is credited with inspiring France's Negritude movement, as well as being a founding father of the Harlem Renaissance. Having established himself as a poet in Jamaica, he moved to the U.S. in his 20s and proceeded to travel to France, but never returned to his birthplace. Una Marson was also well known for her poetry, her activism as a feminist, and for her role as producer of the BBC literary radio programmeCaribbean Voices in the 1940s. Louise Bennett-Coverley was a Jamaican poet and folklorist celebrated for her unique voice as "Miss Lou". Writing and performing her poems in Jamaican patois, Bennett was instrumental in having this "dialect" of the people given literary recognition in its own right. Other Jamaican writers who have gained international acclaim include Hazel Dorothy Campbell, Mikey Smith and Linton Kwesi Johnson. In 2014, Mervyn Morris was appointed Poet Laureate of Jamaica. He was succeeded in 2017 by Lorna Goodison.
