Andrew Salkey facts for kids

Andrew Salkey (born January 30, 1928 – died April 28, 1995) was a talented writer from Jamaica. He wrote many different kinds of books, including novels, poems, and stories for children. He was also a journalist. Andrew Salkey was born in Panama but grew up in Jamaica. In the 1950s, he moved to Britain to go to college.

He wrote more than 30 books during his life. These included novels for adults and kids, poetry, and travel stories. He also edited many collections of writings by other authors. Andrew Salkey died in Amherst, Massachusetts, where he had been a special writer and teacher at Hampshire College since the 1970s.

Andrew Salkey's Life and Work

Andrew Salkey was born in Colón, Panama. His parents, Andrew Alexander Salkey and Linda Marshall Salkey, were from Jamaica. When he was two years old, Andrew was sent to Jamaica. There, his grandmother and mother raised him. His mother was a teacher in Jamaica, while his father continued to work in Panama.

Andrew Salkey went to school at St George's College in Kingston. He also attended Munro College in St. Elizabeth. In the early 1950s, he moved to England to study at the College of St Mark and St John.

Helping Other Writers

In London, Andrew Salkey quickly became an important person among Caribbean writers. He worked at the BBC World Service, which is a famous radio station. He was a main presenter and writer for the Caribbean section. His radio shows, especially Caribbean Voices, became a great place for new writers to share their work. He encouraged many authors, like Sam Selvon and George Lamming, who had moved to London. Andrew Salkey helped them create new stories and poems for radio. For example, he encouraged V. S. Naipaul to keep writing after reading his first story.

He also helped write a radio play called My People and Your People. This play was about a love story between a West Indian person and a Scottish musician.

Community Involvement

Andrew Salkey was also part of the West Indian Students Union (WISU). This group helped Caribbean students share their ideas. It also supported Caribbean immigrants who were facing difficulties in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. The union worked to help the community.

In the mid-1950s, Salkey taught English at Walworth Secondary School in London. His first novel, A Quality of Violence, was published in 1959. It was set around the year 1900 and told in a Jamaican patois style. His second novel, Escape to An Autumn Pavement, came out in 1960.

That same year, Andrew Salkey edited one of the first collections of short stories from the Caribbean. It was called West Indian Stories. He also received a Guggenheim Fellowship. This award helps people do research in fields like folklore.

His other novels included The Late Emancipation of Jerry Stover (1968), The Adventures of Catullus Kelly (1969), and Come Home, Malcolm Heartland (1976). After these books, Salkey focused more on writing poetry and retelling traditional Caribbean folk tales.

Caribbean Artists Movement

In 1966, Andrew Salkey helped start the Caribbean Artists Movement (CAM). He co-founded it with John La Rose and Kamau Brathwaite. CAM was a special group for Caribbean artists, writers, actors, and musicians. It gave them a place to share their art and ideas.

At one of CAM's important meetings, Salkey spoke about the importance of "Black awareness." He said that Caribbean communities should be the first to approve of their own creative works. He believed this would help artists feel more confident when sharing their work with the rest of the world.

Later in his life, Andrew Salkey became a professor of creative writing. He taught at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, starting in 1976. He was good friends with another writer, Austin Clarke. They wrote many letters to each other over the years.

Andrew Salkey's Books

Andrew Salkey's novels often moved between his home country and the places he lived. His first novel, A Quality of Violence (1959), takes place in a quiet part of Jamaica. His second novel, Escape to An Autumn Pavement (1960), is set in London. It tells a story about someone living away from home.

His 1968 novel, The Late Emancipation of Jerry Stover, returns to Jamaica. It looks at the challenges of middle-class life in the Caribbean. Then, The Adventures of Catullus Kelly (1969) is set in London again. His last major novel, Come Home, Malcolm Heartland (1976), is about secret agents and people living in London who are from other countries.

As a Caribbean writer living in Britain, Salkey had a special "insider-outsider" view. This means he could see things from both perspectives. He wrote about the challenges Caribbean people faced when trying to find their identity while living in Britain.

Celebrating Andrew Salkey: "Salkey's Score"

Andrew Salkey was a strong supporter of Bogle-L'Ouverture, a publishing company in London. In 1992, a special two-day event called "Salkey's Score" was held to honor him. It took place at the Commonwealth Institute.

This event celebrated Andrew Salkey's important work. It recognized his efforts with the Caribbean Artists Movement in the 1960s and 1970s. It also honored his journalism on the BBC radio show Caribbean Voices. People also praised his help in teaching Caribbean writing in schools. The event highlighted how important he felt the connection between Africa and Caribbean identity was. Finally, it celebrated his many novels, poems, and other writings.

Andrew Salkey's Legacy

The Andrew Salkey Memorial Scholarship was created at Hampshire College. This award helps students who show great promise in writing. It helps keep his memory and his love for writing alive.

See also

In Spanish: Andrew Salkey para niños