The Ten Incarnations Of Adam Avatar

"'Tell me if I am mad,' Adam Avatar, a copper-skinned man with startling green eyes, asks Dr. Surendra Sankar, a psychiatrist in Trinidad. Aged forty-nine, there is some urgency in his request, since he fears that, very shortly, when he reaches his fiftieth birthday, he will die at the hands of his nemesis, the Shadowman. Adam believes he is nearly five hundred years old and has gone through nine previous incarnations, including living as a fifteenth century Amerindian, a Spanish conquistador, a Portuguese slaver and a Yoruba slave, a female pirate and a female stickfighter in nineteenth century Trinidad. Not unreasonably, Dr. Sankar reaches for his pad to prescribe drugs used to control delusional states." "As the consultations continue, Dr. Sankar's professional expertise is tested to the full. On the one hand, his patient appears to behave with impeccable rationality, on the other, the accounts Avatar brings of his previous lives suggest buried traumas of the most worrying kind." "And when Avatar's narratives of the experiences of his past selves are revealed to have an authenticity that cannot be explained away, Dr Sankar's perplexity grows." "Kevin Baldeosingh brings a powerful narrative drive to this unfolding mystery, a Joycean variety of historical Englishes to the accounts of Avatar's lives and a persuasive grasp of each historical period. But the novel also asks uncomfortable questions about the nature of power, the relationship between abuser and abused and the malleability of the person in different social environments." "Set in Haiti, Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad, The Ten Incarnations of Adam Avatar is an epic account of the New World experience and a provocative enquiry into the nature of history and what it means to be a Caribbean person."--BOOK JACKET.

In Puranic lore, Vishnu is the preserver of the universe and the cosmic order. The Dasha Avatar is the Puranic story of the ten incarnations of Vishnu who descends to the terrestrial world to establish stability and order, time and again. The avatars occur in a sequence – the first was matsya or fish representing life in water, followed by kurma or turtle signifying life in water and on land, then varaha or boar alluding to terrestrial life and so on. The sequence of the avatars could be taken to symbolise various stages in the evolution of life culminating in the advent of the perfect being.

Narrating Nomadism provides an unflinching account of ethnic groups and nomadic communities across the world that were branded as ‘criminal’ during colonial times. It explores the tragic effect of the new identity imposed on them, the traumatic survival of these communities and cultures, and the creative expression of this experience in their arts and literature in the form of resistance. Presenting specific contexts and locations of cultural devastation in history, the volume traces colonial social imagination as such, showing how the grossly misperceived non-sedentary communities in the colonies were subjected to the mission of ‘settling’ them. The essays presented here document these alternative histories from perspectives ranging from literary criticism and art history to ethnography and socio-linguistics, highlighting in what ways different nomadic communities negotiate discrimination and challenge in contemporary times, while finding remarkable convergence in their local histories and collective testimonies. This anthology opens up a new area in postcolonial studies as well as cultural anthropology by bringing the viewpoint of marginalized communities and their cultural rights to bear upon history, society and culture. It places an activist’s ‘view from below’ at the centre of literary interpretation, engages with oral history more substantially than folklore studies usually do, and brings together several historical narratives hitherto unexplored. This will be essential for students of anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, history, linguistics, post-colonial studies, literature and tribal studies, as well as the general reader.

Combining in innovative ways the tools and approaches of postcolonial and popular culture studies as well as comparative literary analysis, this is an ambitious, interdisciplinary study that develops - across several related discursive sites - an argument about the centrality of time travel in the Latin American and Caribbean imagination.

Discover these fascinating twin islands with the most incisive and entertaining guidebook on the market. Whether you plan to join a mas band at Port of Spain's Carnival, dive Tobago's coral reefs or enjoy the pristine beaches, The Rough Guide to Trinidad & Tobago will show you the ideal places to sleep, eat, drink, shop and visit along the way. - Independent, trusted reviews written with Rough Guides' trademark blend of humour, honesty and insight, to help you get the most out of your visit, with options to suit every budget. - Full-colour chapter maps throughout - to explore the colonial-era streets of downtown Port of Spain or navigate the bars, restaurants and guesthouses of Tobago's Crown Point without needing to get online. - Stunning images - a rich collection of inspiring colour photography. - Things not to miss - Rough Guides' rundown of thebest sights and experiences in Trinidad & Tobago. - Itineraries - carefully planned routes to help you organize your trip. - Detailed coverage - this travel guide has in-depth practical advice for every step of the way. Areas covered include: In Trinidad: Port of Spain, Chaguaramas and the Bocas islands, North coast beaches and villages, Brasso Seco, Toco,Grande Riviere, Manzanilla/Mayaro, San Fernando, Icacos. In Tobago: Crown Point, Mount Irvine, Scarborough, Castara, Windward Coast, Speyside, Charlotteville. Attractions include: In Trinidad: Carapichaima; the North Coast Road; the Northern Range; Asa Wright Nature Centre; Yerette and Mount St Benedict; Nariva Swamp; Pitch Lake; Tobago: Store Bay beach; Pigeon Point; Bon Accord lagoon; The windward and leewards coasts; Forest Reserve; Little Tobago Basics - essential pre-departure practical information including getting there, local transport, accommodation, food and drink, festivals and public holidays, outdoor activities, sports, culture and etiquette, crime and personal safety, shopping and more. Background information- a Contexts chapter devoted to history, Carnival, music, ecology and wildlife and recommended books, plus a section on Creole English. Make the Most of Your Time on Earth with The Rough Guide to Trinidad & Tobago About Rough Guides : Escape the every day with Rough Guides. We are aleading travel publisher known for our "tell it like it is" attitude, up-to-date content and great writing. Since 1982, we've published books covering more than 120 destinations around the globe, with an ever-growing series of ebooks, a range of beautiful, inspirational reference titles, and an award-winning website. We pride ourselves on our accurate, honest and informed travel guides.

Why did the novel take such a long time to emerge in the colonial world? And, what cultural work did it come to perform in societies where subjects were not free and modes of social organization diverged from the European cultural centers where the novel gained its form and audience? Answering these questions and more, Volume 11, The Novel in Africa and the Caribbean since 1950 explores the institutions of cultural production that exerted influence in late colonialism, from missionary schools and metropolitan publishers to universities and small presses. How these structures provoke and respond to the literary trends and social peculiarities of Africa and the Caribbean impacts not only the writing and reading of novels in those regions, but also has a transformative effect on the novel as a global phenomenon. Together, the volume's 32 contributing experts tell a story about the close relationship between the novel and the project of decolonization, and explore the multiple ways in which novels enable readers to imagine communities beyond their own and thus made this form of literature a compelling catalyst for cultural transformation. The authors show that, even as the novel grows in Africa and the Caribbean as a mark of the elites' mastery of European form, it becomes the essential instrument for critiquing colonialism and for articulating the new horizons of cultural nationalism. Within this historical context, the volume examines works by authors such as Chinua Achebe, Nadine Gordimer, George Lamming, Jamaica Kincaid, V.S. Naipaul, Zoe Wicomb, J. M. Coetzee, and many others.

'A vital and timely introduction to some of the best books I've ever read. Perfectly curated and filled with brilliant literature' Nikesh Shukla 'The ultimate introduction to post-colonial literature for those who want to understand the classics and the pioneers in this exciting area of books' Symeon Brown These are the books you should read. This is the canon. Joan Anim-Addo, Deirdre Osborne and Kadija Sesay have curated a decolonized reading list that celebrates the wide and diverse experiences of people from around the world, of all backgrounds and all races. It disrupts the all-too-often white-dominated 'required reading' collections that have become the accepted norm and highlights powerful voices and cultural perspectives that demand a place on our shelves. From literary giants such as Toni Morrison and Chinua Achebe to less well known (but equally vital) writers such as Caribbean novelist Earl Lovelace or Indigenous Australian author Tony Birch, the novels recommended here are in turn haunting and lyrical; innovative and inspiring; edgy and poignant. The power of great fiction is that readers have the opportunity to discover new worlds and encounter other beliefs and opinions. This is the Canon offers a rich and multifaceted perspective on our past, present and future which deserves to be read by all bibliophiles - whether they are book club members or solitary readers, self-educators or teachers.