Barbara Lalla

Disaster catapults three children into the care of their Caribbean grandparents, before another relative, elusive and perhaps unstable, makes a conflicting claim to guardianship. Balancing domestic calamity against her own compulsive writing, Aria faces physical and psychological threats, as a pandemic creeps up on the world and the country moves into lockdown. By Such a Parting Light offers a humorous and poignant tale of aging and of coming of age, and it takes a mischievous approach to the multiple meanings of retirement. A must for all readers of Caribbean and island literature - for readers with a taste for realism that blends seamlessly into strains of the marvelous and gothic - the novel’s themes of loss and separation, love and resilience, are universally appealing. The book personalizes local and international violence and terror by bringing it all home to a small country in an international context of uncontained infection and catastrophic politics. Turning an astonished eye on developed nations from the frail shelter of a tiny island, the tale unveils alternative notions of civilization and enlightenment.

In One Thousand Eyes, a ragged troop of abandoned children fights to survive on a devastated Caribbean island. Eleven-year-old Myche marshals them out of the small sanctuary that is no longer safe, on a treacherous journey through destroyed cities and ravaged landscapes. In mountains and grottos, and in brackish wastelands of mangrove and floating grasses, the children face danger from the harsh environment and its inhabitants, as well as from intruders who hunt them ruthlessly. But a well-ordered and comfortable landing may pose the greatest threat of all.A coming-of-age tale for readers of Caribbean fiction and world literature, speculative writing and eco-fiction, One Thousand Eyes, set amid the dark forces of a chillingly possible world, is ultimately about resilience, love, courage and the power of storytelling.

A gifted young scholar clings desperately to part-time employment at a Caribbean university. Then, a post opens up on an unknown offshore campus in Portmore, Jamaica. Into this harsh yet delicate terrain ventures Candace Clarke, bent on taking root in an academic world. As her relationship with her dysfunctional father grows more fraught, she draws comfort from her longstanding friend, Randall (a medievalist and would-be novelist), and she confides in him about her troubled past and bewildering present. Around her, insecurity and absurdity prompt malice, panic and redeeming wit. Alongside the lighter moments of college life, Grounds for Tenure discloses the diverse cravings of the ultra-smart and unexpectedly foolish, as well as their self-absorption and bottomless generosity. This tale of inner and outer landscapes marks a new departure in Caribbean fiction. Humorous, critical and compassionate, Barbara Lalla turns her keen gaze to the habitats for rising intellectuals in the Caribbean world of letters.

Uncle Brother unfolds a tale of unflinching devotion against a tapestry of neglect and exploitation.Under the curious eyes of a succession of children glimmer fragments of stories that interlock to produce the saga of Nathan Deoraj – brother, uncle and teacher. The young boy on an early twentieth century cocoa estate in Trinidad begins his own story, and soon the opportunity for education and Nathan’s own passion for books opens the way to a brilliant future. Then a crippling loss reshapes his path.But the very limitations that close on him provoke him to unleash his mind into the awakening consciousnesses around him. Others who have taken up the tale reveal how Nathan’s subsequent choices lead to a recharting of countless lives, and to the forging of connections that cross Caribbean social divides. Yet, running alongside Nathan’s devotion to family and community are stories of those children who had no Nathan. Resentments arise and smolder, shocking injustice leads to tragedy, and, in old age, Nathan must tap yet deeper reserves of strength and endurance.Uncle Brother speaks to audiences of all ages in and beyond the Caribbean by exploring bonds between children and older family members, and, uniquely, between a girl growing to awareness in the light and shade of a powerful male relative. Then, threading the tale of the living legend are cries for help from a child who enters the story late in Nathan’s life, when nothing more should have been required of him….

Caribbean Literary Discourse is a study of the multicultural, multilingual, and Creolised languages that characterise Caribbean discourse, especially as reflected in the language choices that preoccupy creative writers.Caribbean Literary Discourse opens the challenging world of language choices and literary experiments characteristic of the multicultural and multilingual Caribbean. In these societies, the language of the master— English in Jamaica and Barbados—overlies the Creole languages of the majority. As literary critics and as creative writers, Barbara Lalla, Jean D’Costa, and Velma Pollard engage historical, linguistic, and literary perspectives to investigate the literature bred by this complex history. They trace the rise of local languages and literatures within the English speaking Caribbean, especially as reflected in the language choices of creative writers.The study engages two problems: first, the historical reality that standard metropolitan English established by British colonialists dominates official economic, cultural, and political affairs in these former colonies, contesting the development of vernacular, Creole, and pidgin dialects even among the region’s indigenous population; and second, the fact that literary discourse developed under such conditions has received scant attention.Caribbean Literary Discourse explores the language choices that preoccupy creative writers in whose work vernacular discourse displays its multiplicity of origins, its elusive boundaries, and its most vexing issues. The authors address the degree to which language choice highlights political loyalties and tensions; the politics of identity, self-representation, and nationalism; the implications of code-switching—the ability to alternate deliberately between different languages, accents, or dialects—for identity in postcolonial society; the rich rhetorical and literary effects enabled by code-switching and the difficulties of acknowledging or teaching those ranges in traditional education systems; the longstanding interplay between oral and scribal culture; and the predominance of intertextuality in postcolonial and diasporic literature.

Barbara Lalla’s beautifully written novel explores a universal question: when, where and how does one grow old with dignity. The intricate story unfolds in Jamaica and Trinidad and tells a moving and suspenseful tale of families dealing with ageing in a shifting culture, where British-colonial influences clash with modern Jamaican politics, and lawlessness is on the increase.

'An important addition to studies of the genesis and life of Jamaican Creole as well as other New World creoles such as Gulla. Highlighting the nature of the nonstandard varieties of British English dialects to which the African slaves were exposed, this work presents a refreshingly cogent view of Jamaican Creole features.' --SECOL Review 'The history of Jamaican Creole comes to life through this book. Scholars will analyze its texts, follow the leads it opens up, and argue about refining its interpretations for a long time to come.' --Journal of Pidgin & Creole Languages 'The authors are to be congratulated on this substantial contribution to our understanding of how Jamaican Creole developed. Its value lies not only in the linguistic insights of the authors but also in the rich trove of texts that they have made accessible.' --English World-Wide 'Provides valuable historical and demographic data and sheds light on the origins and development of Jamaican Creole. Lalla and D'Costa offer interesting insights into Creole genesis, not only through their careful mapping of the migrations from Europe and Africa, which constructed the Jamaican society but also through extensive documentation of early texts. . . . Highly valuable to linguists, historians, anthropologists, psychologists, and anyone interested in the Caribbean or in the history of mankind.' --New West Indian Guide

Maroons - slaves who escaped servitude to establish their own hegemonies - are central characters in Jamaican heritage, even influencing literary character types in Jamaican fiction. This work focuses on the place of Jamaican fiction in the larger regional literature.