Astonishingly vivid, bawdy, and tempestuous, this novel is a
cautionary tale about greed and class conflict in postcolonial
Guyana. Comparing ruthless 20th-century prospectors to the long-ago
Spanish explorers who raped a continent in their quest for El
Dorado, the novel follows the dreams and delusions of Aron Smart, a
youth orphaned early in life and brought up on a farm by his
grandparents who impressed upon him the value of an education. When
Aron's schooling is cut short after a reversal of fortune, however,
he becomes deeply discouraged by his lack of opportunity and
decides to follow in his father's footsteps as a diamond
prospector. He quickly becomes very rich--his companions in the
mines call him "Shark"--and he is determined to use his new wealth
to buy his way into the middle class. But Aron is out of his
element in the world of property and prestige, and, cheated of his
fortune, he returns to the interior, mining with a reckless madness
that leaves him terribly maimed in an accident--and causes him to
dream of returning to his grandfather's life, built on the solid
rhythms of farming and caring for the land.
General
Imprint: |
Peepal Tree Press Ltd
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Series: |
Caribbean Modern Classics |
Release date: |
May 2009 |
First published: |
May 2009 |
Authors: |
Jan Carew
|
Dimensions: |
206 x 135 x 20mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
272 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-84523-095-1 |
Categories: |
Books >
Fiction >
General & literary fiction >
Modern fiction
|
LSN: |
1-84523-095-7 |
Barcode: |
9781845230951 |
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!