“Go de R**s to sleep…” & other memories of Calabash

I have been to literary festivals in the UK – usually in rain soaked parts of England.  This was my first time at Calabash.  Jamaica’s biannual literary event is more than a festival.  And also less.  It is two and a half days of readings, interviews and performances by Caribbean and non-Caribbean writers set against the backdrop of Treasure Beach, the waves lapping behind the speakers, and a not-so cool evening breeze keeping awake those who have enjoyed the rum too much.  The food was good, the words were rich off the page and the authors were everything you’d expect.

 It is less than a festival in that it is much more intimate than you would expect.  Yes, there are large crowds for some of the sessions. But a lot of people know each other and, wherever you sit , you are never far from the speaker.

 Four writers with a British connection were there this year. Not every writer is a great reader of course. And at least one of  the great  readers was an actor not a writer.  

 Scottish poet  Rab Wilson read his poems  in the evening. He read in a rich Scottish dialect that had everyone (including me) enjoying without fully understanding.  But the poetry spoke for itself.

 Zadie Smith, whose family origins are not far from Treasure Beach in St Elizabeth, read from her novel “The Cambodian Embassy” – a slice of London life seen through African eyes. She made us laugh, sympathise and wonder.

 A Kenyan family of three related authors had us reaching for our handkerchiefs.  Robert Antoni from Trinidad was moving then hilarious, with extracts from two of his books

 The highlight of course was Salman Rushdie. People around me weren’t sure what to expect. Would he be withdrawn, shy, or stand-offish?  Not at all. In an hour and half long interview, he kept us spellbound with tales of why he wrote, what he found difficult (sex scenes, if you must know), what he enjoyed.  And he read beautifully from his book for children “Haroun and the Sea of Stories”. And from “The Moor’s last Sigh”.  His readings were masterful, but what people really enjoyed was the relaxed and open way he engaged with the interviewer and, through him, with the audience.

 What made us all laugh at the end of  a long day was a Jamaican translation of an American novelist’s  angry  book (and international bestseller) written for his little baby daughter “Go de R**s to sleep”.    It was read by Jamaican  Alwyn Scott.  Simply brilliant!

DAVID FITTON