The Guyana Classics Collection, a reprint of books by Guyanese authors that were out of circulation and parliamentary speeches of former presidents Forbes Burnham, Dr Cheddi Jagan and Janet Jagan, were among over 240 rarely seen books at the University of Guyana Library book exhibition of past winners of the Guyana Prize for Literature.
The exhibition, held at Castellani House as part of a Literary Festival to mark the 2023 Guyana Prize for Literature, featured the books of winners and those shortlisted for the period 1987 when the prize was established, to 2014.
In spite of high praise for the exhibition in remarks in the visitors’ book, attendance was poor. Most disappointing was the lack of attendance by school children from the schools nearby.
On the two occasions during the morning hours when this writer was there, only a few children from mainly private schools were pouring over the exhibits. Apart from them most of the attendees were writers, literary critics or somehow related to the Literary Festival.
Also on display were prints of 11 issues of Kyk-over-al, a literary magazine founded in the 1940s in British Guiana that helped to shape current-day Guyana and West Indian literature.
UG Librarian Gwyneth George told Stabroek Weekend that the Guyana Classics were reprinted by the Caribbean Press as an initiative of the Guyana Government to preserve the works of writers who were deceased or those worthy of recognition but no longer in circulation. They were reprinted several years ago.
“It was a special project the government had given Professor David Dabydeen to do including the parliamentary speeches of Forbes Burnham, Cheddi and Janet Jagan,” she said.
The University of Guyana Library inherited the collection from the then minister of culture Dr Frank Anthony.
The Guyana Prize for Literature exhibition showcased the works until 2014 after which there was a hiatus of the activity which subsequently resumed for 2022.
form part of the Guyana Classics Collection
The 2022 and 2023 Guyana Prize for Literature was taken over by the now Ministry of Culture and the University of Guyana Library is still to receive copies of the winning entries from the ministry.
Every award ceremony, UG Library exhibits the winning and shortlisted entries.
On the walls were profiles of the winners of the previous years, except for the 2022 winners. “We don’t have profiles of the winners for 2022. We don’t have their books on display because we haven’t received them from the ministry. We may have received voluntarily from a few of the authors themselves. These items have not yet been deposited in the library,” George said. UG Library was informed that this year’s entries will be given to the library electronically and not by hard copy because most of the entries were submitted in manuscripts.
UG Library has a booklet with the winning entries which it is currently updating, she added.
Every year, the library highlights two prominent authors; this year books by author/poet Martin Carter and poet/playwright Elly Niland were featured.
The Guyana Classics collection includes books by AJ Seymour, Carter, Edgar Mittelihozer, Wilson Harris, Sister Noel Menezes, Egbert Martin, David Dabydeen, Marc Matthews, Denis Williams, Roy Heath, Michael Gilkes, Mark McWatt, Ryhaan Shah and Edwina Melville. (Miranda La Rose)
