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January 2013 |
Sam Selvon Collection on Memory of the World Register
The Sam Selvon Collection spans the period 1948-1985 and consists of manuscripts of Selvon's published works: poems, plays, short stories, articles and non-fiction. It also contains correspondence and manuscripts of many unpublished items. The collection is significant to the region as it provides documentary evidence of the work of an important writer who contributed to the development of Caribbean literature. In the renowned trilogy Lonely Londoners, Moses Ascending, and Moses Migrating, Selvon captures class struggles; and the sociological and psychological experiences of the West Indian immigrant in Britain in the 1950s. UNESCO established the Memory of the World (MOW) Programme 20 years ago, following a growing awareness of the inadequate preservation of, and access to, documentary heritage (books, manuscripts, drawings, maps, films, etc.) in various parts of the world. The MOW Programme recognizes and maintains registers of documentary heritage of international, regional and national significance. Trinidad and Tobago has the second largest number of collections on the international register from the Latin American and Caribbean regions, a total of six: the Derek Walcott Collection, the Eric Williams Memorial Collection, the CLR James Collection, the Registry of Slaves of the British Caribbean (1817-1834), the Constantine Collection, and the Records of the Indian Indentured Labourers of Trinidad and Tobago (1845-1917). These collections are housed at the National Library, the National Archives and at The UWI, St. Augustine. |