Printer Friendly VersionCaribbean Writers
The purpose of this handout is to help you in doing research on Caribbean writers. The sources listed in this handout will help you to find bibliographic information on
the writers as well as criticism on their works. If you have any difficulty in locating materials or need further assistance, please
ask a reference librarian for help.
Table of Contents
Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, and Handbooks
Biographical Information
Criticism
Locating Books
Indexes to Poetry
DICTIONARIES, ENCYCLOPEDIAS, AND HANDBOOKS
These sources can provide background information on the history, culture, and
language of the Caribbean.
Africana: the encyclopedia of the African
and African American experience ed. by Kwame Anthony Appiah and Henry Louis
Gates, Jr. New York: Basic Civitas Books, 1999.
(Ref DT14 .A37435 1999)
This scholarly encyclopedia includes biographical on major literary figures as
well as historical information on countries, languages, music, and art.
Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage ed. by
Richard Allsopp. New York: Oxford, 1996.
(Ref PE3304 .D54 1996)
Defines terms of Caribbean English, including
regionalisms, and provides a pronunciation guide.
Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture
ed. by Barbara Tenenbaum. New York: Scribners, 1996.
(Ref F1406 .E53 1996)
This five volume set includes biographical information on major authors as well
as historical and cultural information.
Introduction to West Indian Poetry by
Laurence Breiner. New York: Cambridge, 1998. (Ref PR9212 .B65 1998)
Provides a chronology and discussion of Anglophone Caribbean poetry.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Use this major index to locate biographical essays in reference books:
Biography and Genealogy Master Index.
Detroit: Gale Research, Inc., 1995-.
Available online
This database is an excellent place to begin a search for
biographical information. Indexes over 500 biographical sources, making it
easy to know which sources to consult. Check LEO for local
holdings.
Sources indexed by BGMI include:
Caribbean Writers: A Bio-Bibliographical-Critical Encyclopedia ed. by Donald
Herdeck. Washington, D.C.: Three Continents Press, Inc., 1979.
(Ref PN849 C3 C3)
Brief biographical entries on over 2,000 authors.
Contemporary Authors. Detroit: Gale
Research, Inc., 1962-.
(In print form at Ref PN451 .C6, online in Literature Resource Center)
International
in scope, this tool gives biographical information about contemporary authors
and lists their works. In the print version, consult the separate index
volume to locate entries on specific writers.
Dictionary of Literary Biography. Detroit: Gale Research, 1978- .
(Ref PN4511 D28)
This source provides lengthy biographical essays and critical bibliographies for each writer. The following
volumes are a series titled Twentieth-Century Caribbean and Black African Writers:
117, 125, and 157.
Fifty Caribbean Writers: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook ed. by Daryl Dance. New York and London: Greenwood Press, 1986.
(Ref PR9205 A52 F54 1986)
A biographical study of 50 writers. Each entry provides and essay and
bibliography of criticism.
CRITICISM
A. REFERENCE BOOKS
Bibliography of Women Writers from the Caribbean: 1831-1986 by Brenda Berrian and
Art Broek. Washington, D.C.: Three Continents Press, 1989.
(Ref PN849 C3 1988)
This source lists bibliographies for numerous female writers from the Caribbean and also provides some articles for further research.
Black Literature Criticism: Excerpts from Criticism of the Most Significant Works of Black Authors Over the Past 200 Years Detroit: Gale, 1992.
(Ref PS153 B556 1992)
Excerpts of criticism of major black writers of the past 200 years.
Caribbean Women Novelists: An Annotated Critical Bibliography by Lizabeth Paravisini-Gerbert and Olga Torres-Seda. Connecticut and London:
Greenwood Press, 1993.
(Ref PN849 C32 P37 1993)
Provides a checklist of writings and a bibliography of criticism for each
author.
Contemporary Literary Criticism Detroit: Gale, 1973- .
(Ref PN771 C59)
This multi-volume source provides excerpts of criticism by well-known critics on a wide range of contemporary authors.
Literary Criticism Index by Alan Weiner and
Spencer Means. London: Scarecrow Press, 1994.
(Ref PN523 .W455
1994)
An excellent source for locating criticism on a specific piece of
literature. Consult the annotated pages in the front for call numbers of
cited works.
B. INDEXES TO CRITICISM
America: History and Life
Available online
This database is useful for researching writers, race
relations, and history. Indexes dissertations, book reviews, and journal articles
covering political, social and economic history of North and South America from ca. 1450 A.D.
Humanities Abstracts. Online 1984 to present, updated quarterly. (preceded by Social Sciences and Humanities Index 1965-1974).
Available online via WilsonWeb Omnifile
Indexes a number of literary journals. Check LEO for local holdings
of cited journals.
MLA International Bibliography. Online 1924 to present, updated annually. (Formerly PMLA Bibliography 1921-1968, available in print on
Index Table 9.)
Available online
Indexes critical materials on literatures, languages, linguistics, and
folklore. Provides access to citations from worldwide publications,
including journals, books, dissertations, and conference proceedings. Check LEO for local holdings of cited items.
LOCATING BOOKS Connect to LEO
LEO indexes books and audiovisual materials owned by Carrier Library. In order to locate materials by a particular writer,
conduct an author search. For example:
Author= Rhys, Jean
If you are trying to locate critical materials on a specific author, you can do a subject search with the author's name as your subject. For example:
Subject=Naipaul, V
In order to locate books concerning different aspects of Caribbean literature, try using the following subject headings:
Authors, Caribbean
Caribbean fiction
Caribbean literature
Caribbean poetry
English poetry - West Indies
Short stories, Caribbean
West Indian poetry
INDEXES TO POETRY
The indexes listed below will not locate criticism on a particular author but rather can be used to find poems in anthologies.
Granger's Index to Poetry New York: Columbia University.
(Ref PN1021 G7)
This book indexes poems in anthologies by the first line of the poem, author and title of the poem.
Index to Black Poetry by Dorothy Chapman. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1974.
(Ref PS153 N5 C45)
Indexes poems located in books by first-line, title and subject.
This bibliography was originally created by Lynn Cameron and Rebecca Feind. Last Updated Spring 2004.
Questions? Contact the library reference desk.
