Dear Editor,
Allan Fenty’s memory of Martin Carter (Frankly Speaking, March 4, 2022) triggered my own memory of seeing Carter wending his way home on Lamaha Street, drunk to the world and being teased and taunted by school children. The discussion about whether or not we should make allowances for the flaws of brilliant people who produce ground-breaking work continues, and there is no right or wrong answer to what is an individual choice, based on individual values and beliefs. Carter made choices during the PNC dictatorship that were probably a matter of survival. He was not alone in making difficult choices during the darkest days of Guyana’s recent history.
I have always believed that his inebriation, which was legendary, arose from a deep and dark despair as he saw his country being destroyed before his very eyes by a brutal and corrupt dictatorship. So many of us felt helpless and we either fled or endured silently. He, however, had the talent and ability to channel his disillusionment and despair into brilliant poetry, and Guyana – and the world – would be poorer but for his remarkable lines that continue to be relevant to our lives today. No one section or class in Guyana can ever lay possessive claim to him. He belongs to all of us. He is and will always be our “Poems Man”.
Sincerely,
Ryhaan Shah
