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Symbolic Cities in Caribbean Literature Symbolic Cities in Caribbean Literature

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Symbolic Cities in Caribbean Literature Symbolic Cities in Caribbean Literature Symbolic Cities in Caribbean Literature Symbolic Cities in Caribbean Literature Christopher Winks symbolic cities in caribbean literature Copyright © Christopher Winks, 2009. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2009 978-0-230-61218-1 All rights reserved. First published in 2009 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN® in the United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-37688-9 ISBN 978-0-230-62157-2 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9780230621572 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Winks, Christopher. Symbolic cities in Caribbean literature / Christopher Winks. p. cm. 1. Caribbean literature—History and criticism. 2. Cities and towns in literature. I. Title. PN849.C3W56 2009 809’.93358209732—dc22 2008042088 A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Scribe Inc. First edition: June 2009 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For my mother, Patricia Winks and for Kamau Brathwaite, poet and teacher La mar inmóvil y el aire sin sus aves, dulce horror el nacimiento de la ciudad apenas recordada. José Lezama Lima, “Noche insular, jardines invisibles” i would take you into the home of the brick the flat foot of the mortar the spinning industrial space of the spider the houmforts of favela vision i would ask you to walk the four corners of your understanding rum cocksblood spirit liberation Kamau Brathwaite, “Conqueror” Eia pour la joie Eia pour l’amour Eia pour la douleur aux pis de larmes reincarnées et voici au bout de ce petit matin ma prière virile que je n’entende ni les rires ni les cris, les yeux fixés sur cette ville que je prophétise, belle . Aimé Césaire, Cahier d’un retour au pays natal Contents Acknowledgments ix Preface xiii 1 Thalassal Histories 1 2 Building the Magic City 25 3 Containing the Ancestral House: The Literary Legacies of Marronage 65 4 Two, Three, Many Havanas: Ventures into a Repeating City 103 5 City of Dis or City of Renewal? 147 Notes 167 Bibliography 183 Index 189 Acknowledgments José Martí once declared, “Honrar, honra”—honoring honors. This book, the product of many years of thought, meditation, and research, has benefited greatly from the support and contributions of many people, all of whom deserve honor and respect far beyond my limited capacity to express. I am especially indebted to Kamau Brathwaite, whose creative and challeng- ing teaching has had so much to do with emboldening me to explore and write about the literature of the Caribbean as a regional whole, beyond the fragments, and whose ever-expanding body of multigenre work constitutes a poetic whole deeply moving and inspiring in its music, and uncompromisingly radical (in the “roots” as well as the political sense) in its form and content. To have partaken of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s exemplary intellectual presence is a privilege I have shared with many, but to have received his support for my work is a precious gift, which I hope in some small part to have reciprocated here. Elaine Savory generously gave of her time and vast knowledge of Caribbean cultures, literary and otherwise, to discuss and clarify for me many of the issues broached in this work, and her friendship and encouragement have meant a lot to me in those moments of struggle and frustration that mark any long-term endeavor. Timothy J. Reiss was present at the conception of this project, and his initial enthusiasm had much to do with my decision to proceed with it. At a crucial moment in this process, his interest in my ideas helped restore my confidence and move the work forward. Great praise is due his erudition and unstinting commitment to what Ngũgĩ calls “the struggle to shift the base from which to view the world from its narrow base in Europe to a multiplicity of centers,” and to teasing out the complex dynamics of global cultural exchange. Richard Sieburth was instrumental in helping me explore the various incar- nations of Wagadu, particularly in the work of Ezra Pound, and in reinforcing the importance of translation to any comparatist venture. I am indebted to Gerard Ach- ing for reminding me of Ogun’s powers. And Manthia Diawara deserves special mention, not only because over the years of this project’s gestation and completion, he has always proved to be a great friend and interlocutor on a global range of x ● Acknowledgments ideas and issues, but also because he afforded me the opportunity to become a full participant for several years in the NYU Africana Studies Program and Institute of African-American Affairs, initially as the Managing Editor of Black Renaissance/Renaissance Noire, and thereafter as the Acting Associate Director of the Africana Studies Program. Along the way, I met and learned much from countless teachers and mentors. Among these, special thanks go to Jayne Cortez, whose wisdom, tireless energy, savoir-faire, and all-around ashé testify to the importance of possessing and developing a vision of the Marvelous in everything one does. C. Daniel Dawson has over the years shared his deep knowledge of African and Afro- diasporic cultures, always inciting me to think differently and more deeply about cosmologies. While at New York University, I came to know many comrades and co- participants in the Great Learning that extends beyond university affiliations, specializations, and careers. I have learned much from their critical spirit and insights. To Rich Blint, Ifeona Fulani, Peter James Hudson, Forrest Hylton, Seth Markle, Melissa Tandiwe Myambo, Sobukwe Odinga, Khary Polk, Ted Sammons, Hillina Seife, Cheryl Sterling, and Adam Waterman—malembe. A special salute to Njoroge Njoroge for his critical acumen and dedication to keeping the liberation struggle and the clave going with equal intensity, and to Suzanna Reiss for all-around brilliance and trenchant insight. Accomplished poet and translator Mark Weiss generously read an earlier draft of the manuscript and offered characteristically pertinent and incisive comments. I give warm thanks as well to James Brook, Chris Carlsson, and Ron Javorcky, old friends, co-conspirators, and faithful interlocutors whose creative and political insights have contributed not only to this project but also to the evolution of my ideas over many years. Adriana González Mateos provided invaluable support and encouragement in the early and most crucial stages of this project. A special shout-out goes to my wonderful colleagues in the Department of Comparative Literature at Queens College of the City University of New York: Ali Jimale Ahmed, Clare Carroll, Andrea Khalil, Charles Martin, and Caroline Rupprecht. Individually and together, they have been extraordinarily support- ive, warm, and encouraging and have taught me a great deal not only about their respective areas of intellectual endeavor but also about the importance and indeed the true meaning of collegiality. Ali Ahmed, in particular, is the ideal men- tor: a constant source of knowledge, insight, and wise counsel. I have always con- sidered Ammiel Alcalay’s work as a poet, critic, translator, and intellectual activist to be exemplary, and I am honored to be his colleague. José Kozer’s cubanía Acknowledgments ● xi and mastery of word-music have been sustaining inspirations. Thanks also to Rolando Pérez, Noam Scheindlin, and Lori Yamato for illuminating conversa- tions, Michael Lipsey for insights only the tambor can provide, and Lauren Shaw for her integrity and unwavering commitment to radical possibilities. I salute all the students I have taught over the years at Medgar Evers College/ CUNY, Rutgers University, NYU, Columbia, the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, and Queens College of the City University of New York. They, too, helped shape what follows. In this regard, and in the hopes she will find something in this book to inspire her, I give special thanks and deep respect to my student and comrade, the brilliant and multitalented Aruna Sukhu, who, in the face of adversity, has taken as her own Martin Carter’s declaration, “I do not sleep to dream but dream to change the world.” I thank the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica, for affording me the opportunity to try out some of these ideas in a public forum as part of the Second Conference on Caribbean Culture, held in honor of Kamau Brath- waite in January 2002. I am grateful as well to Manning Marable of Columbia University for inviting me to participate as a Visiting Scholar in Columbia’s Institute for Research in African-American Studies in Spring 2002, where I presented excerpts from the chapter on literary marronage as part of the Con- versations series. An earlier version of a section of Chapter 4, titled “Cuba, the Night, and the Music: Guillermo Cabrera Infante’s Havana Son et lumière,” was published in 2005 by Africa World Press in the anthology Music, Writing, and Cultural Unity in the Caribbean, and is reprinted here with the kind permission of the editor, Timothy J. Reiss. Acknowledgment is made to the New York State Department of Labor for funding the initial stages of writing. I deeply appreciate the efforts of Farideh Koohi-Kamali and Brigitte Shull at Palgrave-Macmillan to bring this project to fruition, and Palgrave-Macmillan’s anonymous reviewer for helpful criticisms.
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