Today is the 100th birthday of Guyanese poet and man of letters, Arthur James Seymour (January 12, 1914-December 25, 1989). It is undoubtedly an important occasion and there is great cause for celebration of his life and work.
Significantly, Edward Baugh begins and ends his account of West Indian Poetry 1900-1970 with AJ Seymour. Although many things have happened in the poetry since 1970, Baugh’s work is not dated, and remains one of the most important critical works capturing the development and the decolonisation of Caribbean poetry. That Seymour occupies so much space in it confirms his recognition and underlines the acknowledgement of his place in the region’s literature.
Yet AJ Seymour is not a major writer. He is a minor Caribbean poet and was never regarded as among
