Reflections on the Life of Sir Wilson Harris
Guyana’s famous author will be remembered as one of world literature’s most original novelists who was deserving of the Nobel Prize.
World renowned Guyanese author, Sir Wilson Harris has died at 96. The celebrated author of 26 novels, numerous works of poetry, essays and speeches passed on in England on March 8th, 2018, where he has lived since 1959.
Over a period of 50 years, beginning in 1960, Harris published a large body of work but he is still best remembered for his first four novels: Palace of the Peacock (1960), The Far Journey of Oudin (1961), The Whole Armour (1962) and The Secret Ladder (1963), all published by Faber and Faber and referred to as the Guyana Quartet. In recent years, Faber and Faber has re-issued the Guyana Quartet in a single volume.
Author Ian McDonald, a contemporary of Harris’, told Stabroek News that he was saddened to learn of Harris’s death. McDonald described Harris, whom he first met in 1955, as a most lovable and memorable man who had “a smile which crinkled his face until his eyes nearly closed and a very distinctive, slow, quiet tone of voice.”
“Arthur Seymour had introduced me to his writing by giving me a copy of Wilson’s strange and powerful poem Eternity to Season,” he shared, adding that he would meet with the then professional surveyor at Martin Carter’s home when he was in town. Much of Harris’s time was spent in the forest and savannahs, whose great spirits, McDonald is convinced invaded his imagination forever.
Literary critic, Al Creighton, reminded that Harris’s first contribution to Guyanese Literature was as a poet in the late 1940s.
“Harris was among those whose work was independent because he wasn’t a slave to convention and therefore stood out among Guyanese poets of that time. This was a time when Guyanese literature took shape… and he was at the forefront.” — Al Creighton
Creighton explained that with the publication of Palace of the Peacock, Harris transformed the English novel whose form had been static for generations.
“He transformed it with his narrative style in Palace of the Peacock and his incorporation of scientific theory particularly in The Secret Ladder which drew on his experience as a surveyor. It is amazing how he managed to use science to write fiction.”
Adapted from the Stabroek News.
Also read the obituary of Sir Wilson Harris at The Guardian.
