‘This is London calling the West Indies’

Abstract

I am thinking of referring in the next summary to the death of Seepersad Naipaul, and to the illness of Sam Selvon, and the failure to send [Derek] Walcott to Europe. The last two would be critical remarks, and perhaps you think they would not be suitable in a thing like a summary. It does seem to me that the powers-that-be ought to be made aware of the value of literary work, from the prestige point of view, and the neglect of West Indian writers is really shocking . . . I might also refer . . . to the arrest of Martin Carter in Guyana, one poet who was never a contributor [to Caribbean Voices].1