Ian McDonald has established himself as one of the leading literary figures in the Caribbean. Now 80, he is still as passionate about writing as he has ever been and hopes to continue writing until the day he dies.
Primarily a poet and a newspaper columnist these days, McDonald is still driven by a desire to produce work of exceptional quality and takes all his writing seriously. Perhaps, it is this drive that has contributed to him still being a prize winning writer. Just in September, McDonald captured his third Guyana Prize for Literature when he shared the 2012 award for the Best Book of Poetry with Cassia Alphonso. The 25-year-old Alphonso won the prize for her manuscript of poems Black Cake Mix while McDonald captured the prize
for The Comfort of All Things – his fifth collection of poems. Previously, McDonald had won the prize in 1992 for his collection titled Essequibo and again in 2004 for Between Silence and Silence.
The latest collection by McDonald comprises 67 poems the majority of which were written over a four-year period. The work, which explores various themes and styles, is dedicated to McDonald’s wife, Mary. McDonald disclosed that the suite of “Garden poems” in the collection capture many aspects of the garden that his wife has created. Apart from its sheer beauty, the garden, McDonald explains, has been a source of inspiration for him over the years.
McDonald has been writing since the age of 15 and when asked to describe how he gets inspiration to write he indicated that it is somewhat mysterious. A few poems, he says, emerge in the consciousness “fully formed” and can easily be put to paper. Most others, he says, emerge out of the feeling that something needs to be said and is developed with many starts, stops and adjustments along the way. He echoes the sentiments expressed by Guyana’s poet laureate Martin Carter who said that he never finished a poem but “only released it” for others to have a look. “For every one poem that is here, there are probably ten fragments that never emerged as poems,” McDonald says.
Speaking about his recent Guyana Prize victory, McDonald said he was delighted to win the prize again at this stage of his life while adding it was an honour to be a winner among so many young people. He said he was impressed with the fact that so many local writers were winners and said it was indicative of the rich pool of talent present locally. While admitting that he has not viewed much of the work of young local writers, he said he has been impressed with what he has seen from Ruel Johnson and Cassia Alphonso among others.
To improve on the talent that is present, McDonald feels that there ought to be more workshops conducted for writers to help sharpen their skills.
He also believes there is room for a literary magazine so as to provide an outlet for writers to showcase their work, while noting that it was such an outlet that created an opening for him when he was young. “They don’t have an outlet like Kyk-Over-Al,” Mc Donald said, noting that for several years this publication had provided this opening for young writers. This magazine was edited by Guyanese poet AJ Seymour for a number of years with McDonald serving as co-editor from 1984-1989. McDonald assumed sole editorship of the magazine for a number of years after Seymour’s death. Later, Vanda Radzik served as joint editor with McDonald.
While noting that there are several positive initiatives taking place such as the poetry nights held at the Upscale Restaurant, McDonald stressed that the usefulness of a regular literary magazine should not be underestimated. However, he acknowledged that before such a magazine could become reality issues such as funding and sustainability would have to be addressed.
Meanwhile, McDonald also lauded the government for its contribution to the arts while emphasizing that it has done a “marvellous job”, particularly with the Caribbean Press. According to him, the Caribbean Press, by reprinting important publications as part of the Guyana Classics, has done an important and necessary task. McDonald noted that there was a second aspect of the function of the Guyana Prize which was to cater for the development of contemporary writers. He said that while a certain amount of work has been done to see this come to fruition, further development may be needed.
He has several pieces of advice for emerging writers. He believes they should be avid readers who frequently practise their writing. Keeping a journal, he says, is one of the ways they can practise their writing and improve. McDonald also feels that young writers ought to spend time revising their work because it is seldom perfect at the first draft. He also believes writers should share their work with others to be critiqued.
A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature since 1970 and the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of the West Indies in 1997, McDonald says that while he still writes the occasional poem, it is not up to him to say whether he will complete another collection. He, however, intends to compile various books containing columns he has written over the years. He, however, is certain that he will never produce another novel.
His sole novel, The Hummingbird Tree, is a semi-autobiographical offering which he wrote in his early days as a writer. In it he describes life growing up in Trinidad and Tobago. The novel was made into a film by the BBC in 1992 and has found itself on the CSEC reading list for English B.
McDonald looks back at his writing career with some amount of satisfaction since he was able to write while being an international tennis player and while having a full career in the local sugar industry. Writing has been a compelling love for him throughout his years and from all indications this is not likely to change.
