Dear Editor,
I wish to add my voice to the numberless who grieve over David de Caires’ death. I met him on many occasions in Guyana, at his house over a meal, or in his office over coconut water. He struck me always as a man of utter integrity, one who had no airs and graces: he once gave me a lift back to my hotel in his paper-strewn car, speaking passionately about Literature as he made his way through the perilous traffic of mule-carts, impatient buses and carefree pedestrians. I was glad to have arrived safely to the hotel, bearing his generous gifts of New World editions.
He gave freely of his time, and over the years told me stories of the difficulties he encountered, to put it mildly, in fighting for free expression in Guyana, from the 1960s to the present.
I had utmost respect and admiration for him for his fierce love of Literature, and for the efforts he made to rebuild the Theatre Guild, for the coverage on Arts and Literature he gave in Stabroek News; above all, for his commitment to the writing and to the memory of Martin Carter. Every December, on the anniversary of Carter’s death, Stabroek News carried features on our great poet.
David de Caires removed Guyana to higher ground in the days when the philistine and the propagandist reigned. How best to pay tribute to his intellectual energy and love of Literature is a question all Guyanese must consider. Our manifold achievements in recent years are undeniable and should be celebrated (most recently the tremendous success of Carifesta) but we are still a largely bookless society.
Yours faithfully,
David Dabydeen
