Neustadt International Prize for Literature
1 appearances
-
Edition 13 (1994) Winner
Kamau Brathwaite
カマウ・ブラースウェイト
Kamau Brathwaite
Aliases:
Edward Kamau Brathwaite / Edward Brathwaite / Lawson Edward Brathwaite
Pen Names:
Edward Brathwaite（Pen name used in earlier publications）,
Edward Kamau Brathwaite（Commonly used professional name）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1930-05-11 （Bridgetown, Colony of Barbados）
- Died
- 2020-02-04 （Barbados） age 89
- Nationality
- Barbadian
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Bridgetown, Barbados → London, United Kingdom → Accra, Ghana → Kingston, Jamaica → New York, United States → Cow Pasture, Barbados
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Academic, Historian, Editor
- Active Years
- 1948-2017
- Affiliations
- University of the West Indies, Mona, New York University (Professor of Comparative Literature), Pembroke College (Honorary Fellow)
- Memberships
- Caribbean Artists Movement (CAM)
- Influenced By
- J. H. Kwabena Nketia (musicologist), Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (cultural/literary influence), Contemporary Caribbean figures (John La Rose, Andrew Salkey, etc.)
- Influenced
- Linton Kwesi Johnson (poet), Numerous younger Caribbean poets and scholars
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison College (Barbados) | — | — | Secondary education | 1945–1949 | Barbados |
| Pembroke College, University of Cambridge | — | History / English | B.A. (Honours) | 1949–1954 | United Kingdom |
| University of Sussex | — | Research (PhD) | PhD | 1964–1968 | United Kingdom |
Harrison College (Barbados)
Degree:
Secondary education
Period:
1945–1949
Year of Graduation:
1949
Country:
Barbados
Secondary education; contributed to school and regional literary magazines (e.g., Bim)
Pembroke College, University of Cambridge
History / English
Degree:
B.A. (Honours)
Period:
1949–1954
Year of Graduation:
1953
Country:
United Kingdom
Received BA (Honours) in History; Diploma of Education (1954)
University of Sussex
Research (PhD)
Degree:
PhD
Period:
1964–1968
Year of Graduation:
1968
Country:
United Kingdom
Doctoral thesis published as The Development of Creole Society in Jamaica
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Cholmondeley Award | — | — | Society of Authors (UK) | 受賞 |
| 1983 | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (USA) | フェロー選出 |
| 1983 | Fulbright Fellowship | — | — | Fulbright Program (USA) | フェロー選出 |
| 1987 | Order of Barbados (CHB) | — | — | Government of Barbados | 叙勲（CHB） |
| 1994 | Neustadt International Prize for Literature | — | — | Neustadt Prize Committee (International) | 受賞（功績賞） |
| 1999 | Charity Randall Citation | — | — | International Poetry Forum | 受賞（詩の舞台・執筆） |
| 2002 | Honorary Doctorate (University of Sussex) | — | — | University of Sussex | 名誉博士号授与 |
| 2006 | Griffin Poetry Prize (International Winner) | Born to Slow Horses | — | The Griffin Trust (Canada) | 国際部門受賞 |
| 2006 | Musgrave Medal (Gold) for Literature | — | — | Institute of Jamaica | 金メダル受賞 |
| 2007 | President's Award, St. Martin Book Fair | — | — | St. Martin Book Fair | 受賞 |
| 2010 | W. E. B. Du Bois Award | — | — | Unknown (award name) | 受賞 |
| 2011 | Casa de las Américas Prize | — | — | Casa de las Américas (Cuba) | 受賞 |
| 2015 | Robert Frost Medal | — | — | Poetry Society of America | 受賞（生涯功績） |
| 2018 | PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry | — | — | PEN America | 受賞（生涯・業績） |
| 2020 | Bocas Henry Swanzy Award | — | — | NGC Bocas Lit Fest | 選出（遺族へ授与） |
| 2016 | Honorary Fellow of Pembroke College | — | — | Pembroke College, University of Cambridge | 名誉フェロー選出 |
Cholmondeley Award
1970
Organization:
Society of Authors (UK)
Result:
受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
1983
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (USA)
Result:
フェロー選出
Fulbright Fellowship
1983
Organization:
Fulbright Program (USA)
Result:
フェロー選出
Order of Barbados (CHB)
1987
Organization:
Government of Barbados
Result:
叙勲（CHB）
Neustadt International Prize for Literature
1994
Organization:
Neustadt Prize Committee (International)
Result:
受賞（功績賞）
Charity Randall Citation
1999
Organization:
International Poetry Forum
Result:
受賞（詩の舞台・執筆）
Honorary Doctorate (University of Sussex)
2002
Organization:
University of Sussex
Result:
名誉博士号授与
Griffin Poetry Prize (International Winner)
2006
Work:
Born to Slow Horses
Organization:
The Griffin Trust (Canada)
Result:
国際部門受賞
Musgrave Medal (Gold) for Literature
2006
Organization:
Institute of Jamaica
Result:
金メダル受賞
President's Award, St. Martin Book Fair
2007
Organization:
St. Martin Book Fair
Result:
受賞
W. E. B. Du Bois Award
2010
Organization:
Unknown (award name)
Result:
受賞
Casa de las Américas Prize
2011
Organization:
Casa de las Américas (Cuba)
Result:
受賞
Robert Frost Medal
2015
Organization:
Poetry Society of America
Result:
受賞（生涯功績）
PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry
2018
Organization:
PEN America
Result:
受賞（生涯・業績）
Bocas Henry Swanzy Award
2020
Organization:
NGC Bocas Lit Fest
Result:
選出（遺族へ授与）
Honorary Fellow of Pembroke College
2016
Organization:
Pembroke College, University of Cambridge
Result:
名誉フェロー選出
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Rights of Passage
1967 PoetryAn important early poetry collection addressing Caribbean identity, migration and history.
ColonialismMigrationIdentity
The Arrivants: A New World Trilogy
1973 Poetry (long trilogy)A trilogy compiling Rights of Passage, Masks and Islands — a major work exploring Caribbean history, diaspora and language.
DiasporaNation languageHistory and memory
History of the Voice
1984 Literary criticism / StudyA foundational study theorizing 'nation language' in Caribbean poetry; central to Brathwaite's ideas about voice and language.
Nation languageVoice and expressionCultural inheritance
Born to Slow Horses
2006 Poetry 120 pagesA late-career collection featuring experimental typography and rhythms, blending recollection with Caribbean musical traditions.
ReminiscenceMusicalityHistory
Bibliography
- Four Plays for Primary Schools (1964)
- Odale's Choice (1967)
- Rights of Passage (1967)
- Masks (1968)
- Islands (1969)
- Folk Culture of the Slaves in Jamaica (1970)
- The Development of Creole Society in Jamaica, 1770–1820 (1971)
- The Arrivants (1973)
- Contradictory Omens (1974)
- History of the Voice (1984)
- Born to Slow Horses (2006)
- Elegguas (2010)
- Strange Fruit (2016)
- Liviticus (2017)
- The Lazarus Poems (2017)
Adaptations
- Recordings and video readings (held at PennSound and other archives)
Translations of Works
- French: Le détonateur de visibilite / The Visibility Trigger (1986)
- Spanish: Los danzantes del tiempo (2009)
- Italian: Diritti di passaggio (2014)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Use of nation languageOral and musical rhythmsSycorax video style (experimental typography)Historical narration and fragmentation
- Recurring Motifs
- DiasporaSlavery and memorySea and voyagesVoice and orality
Health
-
Injury (shooting)1990Sustained serious injury in 1990; required recovery time and temporarily affected creative activity.
Legacy
Kamau Brathwaite is regarded as one of the major voices in Caribbean literature; he made seminal contributions to the theory of nation language and Caribbean cultural studies, combining poetic practice with scholarly research and receiving wide international recognition.
Museums
- Portrait at Pembroke College (on display) Pembroke College, Cambridge, United Kingdom Opened in 2020
Academic Societies
- Caribbean studies associations
- Poetry and comparative literature societies
Archives
- Pembroke College archives (portrait, related materials)
- PennSound (recorded readings)
- University archives (UWI, NYU, etc.)
In Popular Culture
- Tribute song 'Negus' by Linton Kwesi Johnson
- Frequently featured in readings and academic symposia
Trivia
- Born Lawson Edward Brathwaite.
- Compiled The Arrivants trilogy in 1973.
- Co-founded the Caribbean Artists Movement (CAM) in 1966.
- Won the 2006 Griffin Poetry Prize (International) for Born to Slow Horses.