The World of Spirits in the Work of Some Caribbean Writers in the Diaspora

Writers of Caribbean ancestry who live outside of the region are usually described as having dual allegiance (Caribbean/American for example). This is eminently justifiable, since there is usually a recognizable Caribbean flavour to the writing. This paper focuses on one feature of Caribbean culture incorporated in three texts: Praisesong for the Widow, by Paule Marshall, who grew up in a Barbadian environment in Brooklyn, New York; Flickering Shadows by Kwadwo Kamau, who spent his early years in Barbados and Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson who spent her early years in Trinidad and Jamaica. All three writers are published in the USA (although Hopkinson lives in Canada). This paper isolates the spirit world and comments on how it is used in these texts and to what effect. Also discussed are the relative strength of cultural features and the fascination with the world of the spirits.