The Portuguese Creole author Alfred H. Mendes was an important member of the Beacon Group of writers in Trinidad in the 1930s. His autobiography offers a private perspective of the man behind a popular West Indian personality, and includes annotations and an introduction by Michele Levy.

Alfred Hubert Mendes (1897?1991) was a member of the influential Beacon group of artists, writers and intellectuals in Trinidad in the 1930s. In common with other Beacon writers, including C.L.R. James and Ralph de Boissière, he set out to create a Trinidad-centred literature, and his extensive output of poetry, short stories, novels and journalism bears witness to his dedication to this goal. Selected Writings is an anthology of poetry, short fiction and journalism from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s which places Mendes?s literary development in the context of his life. It is accompanied by an introduction, appendices containing early letters to Mendes from C.L.R. James, Claude McKay, and the Canadian writer Hulbert Footner, explanatory notes, and a brief glossary of Trinidadian words and phrases. The sheer vitality of Mendes?s writing and the huge scope of his interests will attract both scholars and general readers keen to understand what life really was like in the early decades of the twentieth century, especially now, as Trinidad celebrates fifty years of independent self-government. Whereas Mendes?s poems and short stories tellingly illustrate the stresses of social life under colonial rule, the journalism contains much thought-provoking discussion of the development of a national identity and political maturity through his intensive examination of Trinidad?s cultural life.

"Alfred Hubert Mendes (1897-1991) was a member of the influential Beacon group of artists, writers and intellectuals in Trinidad in the 1930s. In common with other Beacon writers, including C.L.R. James and Ralph de Boissiaere, he set out to create a Trinidad-centred literature, and his extensive output of poetry, short stories, novels and journalism bears witness to his dedication to this goal."

Alfred H. Mendes was a member of the Beacon group of writers in Trinidad in the 1930s and friend and colleague of C.L.R. James and Ralph de Boissiere. He was a prolific writer, with a distinctive and engaging voice, and he wrote a significant number of short stories, many of which have never been published and most of which were written between 1920 and 1940. "The Man Who Ran Away" is a collection of twelve stories with an introduction and short glossary of Trinidadian Creole words and phrases. The book is useful as a text for university literature courses, with an introduction designed for students unfamiliar with Mendes's work, but not so dauntingly academic as to discourage a general readership.

As separate entities and later a unified state, the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago boast very unique histories. Initially claimed by the Spanish in 1498, these territories were affected by the imperialist thrusts of various European nations including the French, British and Dutch. The mercantilist infiltrations of these groups, particularly in the 18th century, led to the islands’ belated development as sugar producers and, particularly Trinidad, as a cradle of migration. World War II and the development of the oil and tourism industries in the 20th century transformed the economies, culture and society of these islands. The country has been one of the most important in the region in relation to economic and political leadership and as a centre of cultural development. Historical Dictionary of Trinidad and Tobago contains a chronology, an introduction, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 500 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Trinidad and Tobago.

Situated opposite the mouth of the Orinoco River, western Trinidad has long been considered an entrepot to mainland South America. Trinidad's geographic position - seen as strategic by various imperial governments - led to many heterogeneous peoples from across the region and globe settling or being relocated there. The calm waters around the Gulf of Paria on the western fringes of Trinidad induced settlers to construct a harbour, Port of Spain, around which the modern capital has been formed. From its colonial roots into the postcolonial era, western Trinidad therefore has played an especial part in the shaping of the island's literature. Viewed from one perspective, western Trinidad might be deemed as narrating the heart of the modern state's national literature. Alternatively, the political threats posed around San Fernando in Trinidad's southwest in the 1930s and from within the capital in the 1970s present a different picture of western Trinidad - one in which the fractures of Trinidad and Tobago's projected nationalism are prevalent. While sugar remains a dominant narrative in Caribbean literary studies, this book offers a unique literary perspective on matters too often perceived as the sole preserve of sociological, anthropological or geographical studies. The legacy of the oil industry and the development of the suburban commuter belt of East-West Corridor, therefore, form considerable discursive nodes, alongside other key Trinidadian sites, such as Woodford Square, colonial houses and the urban yards of Port of Spain. This study places works by well-known authors such as V. S. Naipaul and Samuel Selvon, alongside writing by Michel Maxwell Philip, Marcella Fanny Wilkins, E. L. Joseph, Earl Lovelace, Ismith Khan, Monique Roffey, Arthur Calder-Marshall, Zenga Longmore and the largely neglected novelist, Yseult Bridges, who is almost entirely forgotten today. Using fiction, calypso, history, memoir, legal accounts, poetry, essays and journalism, this study opens with an analysis of Trinidad's nineteenth century literature and offers twentieth century and more contemporary readings of the island in successive chapters. Chapters are roughly arranged in chronological order around particular sites and topoi, while literature from a variety of authors of British, Caribbean, Irish and Jewish descent is represented.