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Jennifer Rahim

ジェニファー・ラヒム

Jennifer Rahim

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
Trinidad and Tobago
Died
2023-03-13 （Trinidad and Tobago） age 60
Nationality
Trinidad and Tobago
Languages
English

Career

Occupations
fiction writer, poet, literary critic, academic
Active Years
1987-2023
Affiliations
University of the West Indies, St Augustine

Education

University of the West Indies, St Augustine
Literatures in English
Degree: BA
Year of Graduation: 1987
Country: Trinidad and Tobago
University of the West Indies, St Augustine
Literatures in English
Degree: PhD
Year of Graduation: 1993
Country: Trinidad and Tobago
University of the West Indies, St Augustine
Theology
Degree: MA
Year of Graduation: 2016
Country: Trinidad and Tobago

Awards

Writers Union of Trinidad and Tobago Writer of the Year Award
1992
Work: Mothers Are Not the Only Linguists
Organization: Writers Union of Trinidad and Tobago
Result: winner
New Voices Award of Merit
1993
Organization: New Voices
Result: recipient
Gulf Insurance Writers Scholarship
1996
Category: 奨学金
Organization: Gulf Insurance
Result: recipient
Casa de las Américas Prize
2010
Work: Approaching Sabbaths
Category: Caribbean Literature (English/Creole)
Organization: Casa de las Américas
Result: winner
OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature
2018
Work: Curfew Chronicles
Category: Fiction / Overall
Organization: NGC Bocas Lit Fest
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Mothers Are Not the Only Linguists

1992 poetry

An early poetry collection exploring language, family and motherhood, examining ties between the individual and community through memory and observation.

motherhoodlanguagememory

Between the Fence and the Forest

2002 poetry

A poetry collection focused on borders and thresholds, exploring tensions and harmonies at the edge of nature and society.

bordernaturesociety

Songster and Other Stories

2007 short stories

A collection of short stories portraying familial and societal conflicts from varied perspectives.

familysocietyindividual

Approaching Sabbaths

2009 poetry

A poetry collection with religious and philosophical concerns, thematically addressing community, faith and the sanctification of everyday life.

religioncommunitythe sacred in everyday life

Ground Level

2014 poetry

Poems rooted in land, corporeality and a sense of place, surveying society from a grounded perspective.

landcorporealitysense of place

Curfew Chronicles

2017 novel

A novel interweaving philosophical, moral and religious themes about community and individual change; winner of the 2018 OCM Bocas Prize.

communityreligionmorality

Bibliography

  • Mothers Are Not the Only Linguists (1992)
  • Between the Fence and the Forest (2002)
  • Songster and Other Stories (2007)
  • Approaching Sabbaths (2009)
  • Ground Level (2014)
  • Curfew Chronicles (2017)
  • Beyond Borders: Cross-Culturalism And The Caribbean Canon (co-edited, year unspecified)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
philosophical and lyrical styledeep engagement with Caribbean history, religion and community
Recurring Motifs
communityreligion/faithmemory and familyborders and land

Legacy

Jennifer Rahim is regarded as an important voice in Caribbean literature; through poetry, fiction and criticism she explored community, religion and memory. Her international awards recognize significant contributions to regional literature.

Quotes

  • This must surely rank as one of the most ambitious books ever attempted by a Caribbean writer. The philosophical, moral and religious themes and ideas are deftly handled... Readers are rewarded by moments of sheer grace; and numinous revelations at every turn.
    Source: Lorna Goodison (chair of the OCM Bocas prize panel) (2018)

Trivia

  • Approaching Sabbaths won the Casa de las Américas Prize in 2010.
  • Curfew Chronicles won the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature in 2018.
  • She taught at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, offering courses in creative writing and feminist theory.
  • Co-edited the essay collection Beyond Borders.