Poetry
Caribbean Jingles: Dialect and Other Poems of British Honduras
James Sullivan Martinez · 1920
Synopsis
A collection published at the author's own expense in Belize and dedicated to Lieutenant-Colonel James Cran. In his introduction, the poet hopes that these ordinary subjects, drawn from the everyday life of his community, will console some gloomy soul. Many of the pieces are in Creole: in “De Jazz Ban'”, a man tells of his first encounter, trying to his nerves, with a jazz band; “Sapadilli Tam”, an amusing sailor's tale, sings of the whale shark of the Sapodilla cays.
Context
The book bears no date: it is said to be from 1920, and a copy was given to the Royal Colonial Institute in London in March 1926. It is, according to Belizean studies, the country's first publication to make wide use of Creole, and one of the first serious collections by a man of the country. Paula Burnett notes that the author gave it a disparaging title despite the seriousness he attached to his role, and ranks him with Thomas MacDermot among the transitional poets of the twenties. One of his poems, “Success of Life”, was learned in primary schools into the eighties.
Who it is for
Short poems, in English and Belizean Creole, often humorous; a few pieces are included in anthologies.
Prizes and reception
In 1928, a critic was already nicknaming him the Honduran Dunbar, after the African American dialect poet.
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