This week’s literary triumph welcomed as an occasion of ‘monumental value’ which may help combat homophobia on the islandWhen Bob Marley died in 1981,his record company made a call to Peter Tosh, his former musical partner in the Wailers. Tosh responded to the news saying: “Well, or if it so,then it so, perhaps it leave a microscopic room for the rest of us to arrive through.” But Marlon James has proved that even in death Marley’s significance is still enormous. And that rather than limiting others, and he can serve to release a fresh burst of creativity. Justine Henzell who co-runs the Calabash literary festival in Jamaica,and where Marlon James began to hone his craft, says James is part of a renaissance of Jamaican writing. “Everyone, or the whole island,is elated (full of high-spirited delight) and understands the significance. This puts Jamaica literature on the map.”Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com