Martin Carter
Encyclopedia
Martin Wylde Carter was a Guyanese
poet
, who has been compared in stature to W. B. Yeats and Pablo Neruda
, as well as being called "the most Caribbean of Caribbean poets". Of mixed European, East Indian, and African descent, he began publishing in 1950 in Thunder (the organ of the People's Progressive Party
(PPP) and in A.J. Seymour's literary journal Kyk-over-Al.
His collection Poems of Resistance, published in 1954, established his reputation as a powerful moral and political voice.
In the late 1950s he broke with the PPP and became active in the People's National Congress
(PNC) of Forbes Burnham
, serving in PNC governments as minister of information from 1964 to 1970. In the late 1970s he was a supporter of the Working People's Alliance
of Eusi Kwayana
and Walter Rodney
.
Long seen as primarily a poet who touched on themes of politics, resistance, and protest, his later poems were often highly personal. He is best known, however, for a powerful protest poem of the 1960s, "I come from the nigger yard of yesterday".
At the Live from Lincoln Center
jazz concert for the victims of Hurricane Katrina
, Danny Glover
quoted some lines of Carter's, bringing him to public attention in North America for the first time in the twenty-first century.
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, who has been compared in stature to W. B. Yeats and Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean poet, diplomat and politician Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He chose his pen name after Czech poet Jan Neruda....
, as well as being called "the most Caribbean of Caribbean poets". Of mixed European, East Indian, and African descent, he began publishing in 1950 in Thunder (the organ of the People's Progressive Party
People's Progressive Party
There are several parties named People's Progressive Party:*People's Progressive Party *People's Progressive Party *People's Progressive Party *People's Progressive Party *People's Progress Party...
(PPP) and in A.J. Seymour's literary journal Kyk-over-Al.
His collection Poems of Resistance, published in 1954, established his reputation as a powerful moral and political voice.
In the late 1950s he broke with the PPP and became active in the People's National Congress
People's National Congress
The People's National Congress is a socialist political party in Guyana led by Robert Corbin. The party currently holds 22 of the 65 seats in the National Assembly.-History:...
(PNC) of Forbes Burnham
Forbes Burnham
Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham was the leader of Guyana from 1964 until his death, first as Premier from 1964 to 1966, then as the Prime Minister from 1966 to 1980 and finally as President from 1980 to 1985....
, serving in PNC governments as minister of information from 1964 to 1970. In the late 1970s he was a supporter of the Working People's Alliance
Working People's Alliance
-History:The party was established in 1974, as an alliance of the Working People's Vanguard Party, the Association for Cultural Relations with Independent Africa, the Indian Political Revolutionary Associates and Ratoon, and became a political party in 1989. The party first contested national...
of Eusi Kwayana
Eusi Kwayana
Eusi Kwayana, born Sydney King, is a Guyanese politician. A cabinet minister in the People's Progressive Party government of 1953, the British Army detained him in 1954...
and Walter Rodney
Walter Rodney
Walter Rodney was a prominent Guyanese historian and political activist, who was assassinated in Guyana in 1980.-Career:...
.
Long seen as primarily a poet who touched on themes of politics, resistance, and protest, his later poems were often highly personal. He is best known, however, for a powerful protest poem of the 1960s, "I come from the nigger yard of yesterday".
At the Live from Lincoln Center
Live from Lincoln Center
Live From Lincoln Center is an ongoing series of musical performances produced by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in conjunction with Thirteen/WNET in New York City....
jazz concert for the victims of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, Danny Glover
Danny Glover
Danny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise.-Early life:...
quoted some lines of Carter's, bringing him to public attention in North America for the first time in the twenty-first century.
Select bibliography
- The Hill of Fire Glows Red, Miniature Poets, 1951.
- The Kind Eagle, privately printed, 1952.
- The Hidden Man, privately printed, 1952.
- Poems of Resistance from British Guiana, Lawrence and Wishart, 1954.
- Poems of Shape and Motion, privately printed, 1955.
- Jail Me Quickly, privately printed, 1963.
- Poems of Succession, New Beacon, 1977.
- Poems of Affinity, Release, 1980.
- Selected Poems, Demerara, 1989.