Wilson Harris, Guyanese Writer of Intricate Novels, Dies at 96

Wilson Harris after he was knighted in 2010. Explaining his idea of cross-culturality, he said: “It means one faction of humanity discovers itself in another; not losing its culture, but deepening itself. One culture gains from another.” Credit: Pool photo by John Stillwell

By Neil Genzlinger | The New York Times

Wilson Harris, a Guyanese novelist and essayist who addressed themes of colonialism and cultural identity in weaving stories of history, fantasy, myth and philosophy, died on March 8 in Chelmsford, England. He was 96.

His death was announced by his son Nigel Harris.

Mr. Harris, who had lived in England for almost 60 years, was one of the leading intellectuals to come out of Guyana, a small country on the northern coast of South America. His background was unusual for a writer: He had been a land surveyor for almost 15 years. But that work, which involved trips into Guyana’s jungles and vast savanna and contact with its diverse populations, turned out to be excellent preparation for a literary career.

Al Creighton wrote in a review in The Independent of London in 1993 that Mr. Harris’s works “are products of profound relationships with Guyana’s Amazonian landscape and with ancient Amerindian and European myths, the classics and Continental philosophy.”

Read more of this obituary at The New York Times.