Kirjahaku

Susan Proudleigh (1915) is a novel by H. G. de Lisser. Born and raised in Jamaica, H. G. de Lisser was one of the leading Caribbean writers of the early twentieth century. Concerned with issues of race, urban life, and modernization, de Lisser dedicated his career to representing the lives and concerns of poor and middle-class Jamaicans. In Susan Proudleigh, one of the first West Indian novels to feature a Black protagonist, de Lisser captures the hope and struggle of a young woman leaving home for the first time. “She carried herself with an air of social superiority which was gall and wormwood to the envious; and often on walking through the lane she had noticed the contemptuous looks of those whom, with greater contempt, she called the common folks and treated with but half-concealed disdain. On the whole, she had rather enjoyed the hostility of these people, for it was in its way a tribute to her own importance.” Raised in a time of modernization in the Jamaican capital of Kingston, Susan Proudleigh is a young Black woman who dreams of improving her life. Perceived as a social climber, she becomes the target of disdain and cruelty from members of her community, especially other women. As she narrows her sights on a young man named Tom, whom she does not love but admires, and as Kingston suffers from a loss of economic vitality, Susan must choose whether to stay with her family or to move with Tom to Panama, where construction jobs abound. Susan Proudleigh is a realist portrait of twentieth century life in the Caribbean, a story of romance and ambition that examines the religious and social traditions of Jamaica in a period of massive cultural change. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of H. G. de Lisser’s Susan Proudleigh is a classic of Jamaican literature reimagined for modern readers.

Revenge: A Tale of Old Jamaica (1919) is a novel by H. G. de Lisser. Born and raised in Jamaica, H. G. de Lisser was one of the leading Caribbean writers of the early twentieth century. Concerned with issues of race, urban life, and modernization, de Lisser dedicated his career to representing the lives and concerns of poor and middle-class Jamaicans. In Revenge: A Tale of Old Jamaica, de Lisser portrays the deadly Morant Bay Rebellion of 1865, a protest by poor black laborers unsatisfied with the economic and political establishment and the widespread lack of opportunity for freedmen in Jamaica. In response to a period of scarcity brought on by drought and disease, as well as to acts of police brutality against peaceful protestors, a group of several hundred Jamaicans led by Paul Bogle took to the streets in an effort to fight for their rights. In de Lisser’s fictionalized version of events, he explores the experiences of white and black Jamaicans in the days leading up to the violence. As signs of unrest grow impossible to ignore, those in power prove more than willing to reject the pleas of the oppressed, writing their anger off as nothing more than a passing phase. Seated on their veranda overlooking the mountains of the Jamaican countryside, the Carlton family observes a series of fires growing in the nearby hills. While the women see them as a sign of violence to come, the men seem entirely unphased by the threat of an uprising. In response to his mother’s fears, Dick Carlton attempts to calm her: “‘Our people are just now passing through one of their periodical fits of depression, and you will probably hear them expressing fears of negro uprisings and all that sort of thing […] and you may be frightened. Don’t allow yourself to be. The danger is purely imaginary.’” As night falls with no end to the fires, however, and as the songs and cries of the oppressed grow closer, his sense of security will prove a foolish thing indeed. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of H. G. de Lisser’s Revenge: A Tale of Old Jamaica is a classic of Jamaican literature reimagined for modern readers.

Jane’s Career: A Story of Jamaica (1913) is a novel by H. G. de Lisser. Born and raised in Jamaica, H. G. de Lisser was one of the leading Caribbean writers of the early twentieth century. Concerned with issues of race, urban life, and modernization, de Lisser dedicated his career to representing the lives and concerns of poor and middle-class Jamaicans. In Jane’s Career: A Story of Jamaica, the first West Indian novel to feature a Black protagonist, de Lisser captures the hope and struggle of a young woman leaving home for the first time. “‘Jane,’ he continued impressively after a pause, ‘Kingston is a very big an’ wicked city, an’ a young girl like you, who de Lord has blessed wid a good figure an’ a face, must be careful not to keep bad company.’” Preparing to send young Jane off to the Jamaican capital, village elder Daddy Buckram attempts to offer her advice on how to keep herself safe from Satan and sinners alike. Despite his serious tone and gloomy portrait of urban life, all Jane can think of is the wonder and excitement waiting for her in Kingston. Raised in the countryside, brought up in a conservative Christian family, Jane sees her new job as a means of achieving independence and establishing her own identity as a proud black woman, of forging her own path in a new, modern Jamaica. In spite of her dreams, however, Jane finds herself subjected to the cruelties of her employer Mrs. Mason, who threatens to send a letter to her parents alleging all sorts of imagined misdeeds. Through it all, she tries to maintain a sense of pride, hopeful that hard work—and even romance—will set her free. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of H. G. de Lisser’s Jane’s Career: A Story of Jamaica is a classic of Jamaican literature reimagined for modern readers.

Jane’s Career: A Story of Jamaica (1913) is a novel by H. G. de Lisser. Born and raised in Jamaica, H. G. de Lisser was one of the leading Caribbean writers of the early twentieth century. Concerned with issues of race, urban life, and modernization, de Lisser dedicated his career to representing the lives and concerns of poor and middle-class Jamaicans. In Jane’s Career: A Story of Jamaica, the first West Indian novel to feature a Black protagonist, de Lisser captures the hope and struggle of a young woman leaving home for the first time. “‘Jane,’ he continued impressively after a pause, ‘Kingston is a very big an’ wicked city, an’ a young girl like you, who de Lord has blessed wid a good figure an’ a face, must be careful not to keep bad company.’” Preparing to send young Jane off to the Jamaican capital, village elder Daddy Buckram attempts to offer her advice on how to keep herself safe from Satan and sinners alike. Despite his serious tone and gloomy portrait of urban life, all Jane can think of is the wonder and excitement waiting for her in Kingston. Raised in the countryside, brought up in a conservative Christian family, Jane sees her new job as a means of achieving independence and establishing her own identity as a proud black woman, of forging her own path in a new, modern Jamaica. In spite of her dreams, however, Jane finds herself subjected to the cruelties of her employer Mrs. Mason, who threatens to send a letter to her parents alleging all sorts of imagined misdeeds. Through it all, she tries to maintain a sense of pride, hopeful that hard work—and even romance—will set her free. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of H. G. de Lisser’s Jane’s Career: A Story of Jamaica is a classic of Jamaican literature reimagined for modern readers.

Susan Proudleigh (1915) is a novel by H. G. de Lisser. Born and raised in Jamaica, H. G. de Lisser was one of the leading Caribbean writers of the early twentieth century. Concerned with issues of race, urban life, and modernization, de Lisser dedicated his career to representing the lives and concerns of poor and middle-class Jamaicans. In Susan Proudleigh, one of the first West Indian novels to feature a Black protagonist, de Lisser captures the hope and struggle of a young woman leaving home for the first time. “She carried herself with an air of social superiority which was gall and wormwood to the envious; and often on walking through the lane she had noticed the contemptuous looks of those whom, with greater contempt, she called the common folks and treated with but half-concealed disdain. On the whole, she had rather enjoyed the hostility of these people, for it was in its way a tribute to her own importance.” Raised in a time of modernization in the Jamaican capital of Kingston, Susan Proudleigh is a young Black woman who dreams of improving her life. Perceived as a social climber, she becomes the target of disdain and cruelty from members of her community, especially other women. As she narrows her sights on a young man named Tom, whom she does not love but admires, and as Kingston suffers from a loss of economic vitality, Susan must choose whether to stay with her family or to move with Tom to Panama, where construction jobs abound. Susan Proudleigh is a realist portrait of twentieth century life in the Caribbean, a story of romance and ambition that examines the religious and social traditions of Jamaica in a period of massive cultural change. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of H. G. de Lisser’s Susan Proudleigh is a classic of Jamaican literature reimagined for modern readers.

Revenge: A Tale of Old Jamaica (1919) is a novel by H. G. de Lisser. Born and raised in Jamaica, H. G. de Lisser was one of the leading Caribbean writers of the early twentieth century. Concerned with issues of race, urban life, and modernization, de Lisser dedicated his career to representing the lives and concerns of poor and middle-class Jamaicans. In Revenge: A Tale of Old Jamaica, de Lisser portrays the deadly Morant Bay Rebellion of 1865, a protest by poor black laborers unsatisfied with the economic and political establishment and the widespread lack of opportunity for freedmen in Jamaica. In response to a period of scarcity brought on by drought and disease, as well as to acts of police brutality against peaceful protestors, a group of several hundred Jamaicans led by Paul Bogle took to the streets in an effort to fight for their rights. In de Lisser’s fictionalized version of events, he explores the experiences of white and black Jamaicans in the days leading up to the violence. As signs of unrest grow impossible to ignore, those in power prove more than willing to reject the pleas of the oppressed, writing their anger off as nothing more than a passing phase. Seated on their veranda overlooking the mountains of the Jamaican countryside, the Carlton family observes a series of fires growing in the nearby hills. While the women see them as a sign of violence to come, the men seem entirely unphased by the threat of an uprising. In response to his mother’s fears, Dick Carlton attempts to calm her: “‘Our people are just now passing through one of their periodical fits of depression, and you will probably hear them expressing fears of negro uprisings and all that sort of thing […] and you may be frightened. Don’t allow yourself to be. The danger is purely imaginary.’” As night falls with no end to the fires, however, and as the songs and cries of the oppressed grow closer, his sense of security will prove a foolish thing indeed. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of H. G. de Lisser’s Revenge: A Tale of Old Jamaica is a classic of Jamaican literature reimagined for modern readers.