May 20, 2018
Sam Selvon’s 95th Birthday
This Doodle’s Key Themes
Today we celebrate the 95th birthday of novelist, poet, and playwright, Sam Selvon. Born to humble beginnings in rural south Trinidad in 1923, his East Indian heritage and West Indian upbringing would greatly shape his future identity as a writer.
Selvon started writing during his spare time while working in the oilfields, serving in the Royal Naval reserve, and writing for newspapers and literary magazines. In his early twenties, he wrote and published several short stories and poems in his native Trinidad. However, it was his move to England in 1950 which set the stage for his career to blossom.
Drawing from his personal experiences as an immigrant, Selvon published his pioneering novel “The Lonely Londoners” in 1956. In it, he gave the unique Caribbean creolised English, or "nation language", a narrative voice of its own on an international stage. “The Lonely Londoners” was later followed by two more London-based novels: “Moses Ascending” (1975) and “Moses Migrating” (1983), both of which continued the saga of Caribbean immigrants and their experiences in London.
Today’s Doodle by guest artist Jayesh Sivan depicts Selvon and other members of the Caribbean migrant community set against the backdrop of London, which served as the inspiration and setting for much of his works.
Happy birthday, Sam Selvon!
Early concepts of the doodle below
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