Dear Editor,
Marlon James appeared on my radar around the time his book, “A Brief History of Seven Killings,” was placed on the long list for the coveted Man Booker Prize. The book’s Amazon page was littered with praise. The Kindle sample did not disappoint. I decided that a book of this magnitude needed to be kept as a hard copy, so I ignored getting the Kindle version. What’s more, there was no urgency to read it. The book is lengthy. One week after the bookstore brought my copy, Marlon James won the Man Booker Prize. I was happy for James, even more so given that the last Caribbean person to have won the prize was V.S. Naipaul in 1971.
As the magnitude of James’ victory seeped in, my thoughts turned to our own Edgar Mittelholzer. The Caribbean Beat (Issue 100, Nov/Dec 2009) describes Mittelholzer “as the earliest recorded author from the region to make a living – and a very precarious one it would turn out to be – from his pen”. Yes, before James, and before Naipaul, there was Mittelholzer. It is time that we as Guyanese give him his due. The 50th Anniversary of our nation’s birth provides an excellent opportunity to recognize Mittelholzer.
Mittelholzer grew up in what is now LFS Burnham St. I grew up two streets away, and even before reading his work, Mittelholzer’s childhood home was pointed out to me. It would have been fitting to name the street after him, but it is too late for that. I do not know what became of the Mittelholzer property, but with the blessings of the current owner a small plaque should be erected to his memory. Of course a plaque is just the start. It is important to note that Mittelholzer’s grandfather (Rev. John Robert Mittelholzer) was the first Guyanese to become a Lutheran Priest. He served at Guyana’s first Lutheran Church, Ebenezer Lutheran, New Amsterdam. Its expansive lawns were my stomping grounds as a child. I bring up the Lutheran connection as I think it strengthens the case for New Amsterdam to be the “epicentre” for any 50th Independence celebrations surrounding Edgar Mittelholzer.
New Amsterdam aside, there needs to be greater national recognition of Mittelholzer. I recognize that there are lectures in his honour and the Caribbean Press, controversy notwithstanding, has been reprinting his works. I hope “A Swarthy Boy” is on the list. I read Mittelholzer in high school, but had no clue he wrote a book about his early years in New Amsterdam. “A Swarthy Boy”, his autobiography, is a delightful read, especially for New Amsterdamers. Books and lectures aside, maybe an institute at the University of Guyana, or an independent institution for the literary arts, could be created in his honour. Better yet, maybe it is time to rename Guyana’s top literary prize in his honour.
Yours faithfully,
Samuel Braithwaite
Lecturer
Department of Economics
The University of the West Indies
Mona
