Re: My love/hate relationship with Jamaica Kincaid.

[Daoud4]

Hey Magic

I've never read any of her books. I do have Mr. Potter on my bookcase but haven't thought about touching it anytime soon. I try to stay away from books that make me more confused then I am already [img]/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] . In fact the only reason I brought it is because I miss understood someone when they were trying to tell me to purchase Family by J. California Cooper, now that was a good book.

I'm surprised there isn't more responses, I remember last year there was a huge discussion in here about Jamaica Kincaid. If I find it I'll link it here.

[Seveen]

Re: Re: My love/hate relationship with Jamaica Kincaid.

I just got the movie Life & Debt. Watched it once but need to watch it more than once.

[Ephratahe]

Re: Re: My love/hate relationship with Jamaica Kincaid.

I read Autobiography once and I was equally confused (can't remember the entire story line now, but I couldn't forget my confusion). I really loved A Small Place. It was to the point, no-fooling, good. I think it was also an apt rendition of the tourist industry and how small islands tend to 'accomodate' tourism.

Oh, I was also taken by the first name (really thought she was Jamaican) then was a little surprised when I realized she wasn't, that she just liked the name and later on in life decided that she no longer wanted to be called be her real name (Elaine I think?) but by Jamaica - though I forget the rest of the story behind this.

[mountaingal]

Re: Re: My love/hate relationship with Jamaica Kincaid.

Magic, ephra, there was a long and absolutely beautiful discussion here on Jamaica Kincaid one time that WAS arhived, and now seems to be gone, which completely bummed me out, and is why i haven't come into this thread till now. In the old thread, Sukuna made some trenchant observations about the effect that Kincaid's writing had on her compatriots in Antigua...to some extent, they felt they hand been unflatteringly depicted in Kincaid's fiction and non-fiction.

Personally, I love Kincaid's writing, especially her short stories, which I used to read in the New Yorker magazine in the 1980s. She's a very talented woman. However, I got tired of her repetitious themes of tortured mother-daughter relationships.

[Ephratahe]

Re: Re: My love/hate relationship with Jamaica Kincaid.

MG,

I did notice that particular theme in her writings. It's almost as if she never really reconciled her relatiionship with her mother, thus attempted to play this relationship out in her novels (that's just my perspective). I think that was why Autobiography confused me. The ending was somewhat perplexing, and the novel left me feeling disturbed somehow [img]/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] (or maybe I have some unresolved issues of my own...nah, that can't be it [img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] ). Anyway, it's a pity that thread no longer exists [img]/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] . It sounds as if it was an informative piece.

[Magician]

Re: Re: My love/hate relationship with Jamaica Kincaid.

Thanks fot the update guys.

I wish the thread was still there.

I gotta check out The Small Place then, if there in less confusion involved.

Now, is the Autobiography, really based on her real mother, or is it pure unrelated fiction?

[Guest]

Re: Re: My love/hate relationship with Jamaica Kincaid.

'Fraid I can't answer your question about the Autobiography, Magic. However, there is a thread in Intl./Regional News and Current Events which makes mention of a documentary that aired on the BBC this week. The program features commentary written by Jamaica Kincaid. I can't remember if it was written for the film, or taken from one of her books. Anyway if you get the chance to watch the documentary in a theatre or on video, you'll no doubt see another side to Kincaid's writing.

[mountaingal]

Re: Re: My love/hate relationship with Jamaica Kincaid.

Originally posted by MissB:
[qb] 'Fraid I can't answer your question about the Autobiography, Magic. However, there is a thread in Intl./Regional News and Current Events which makes mention of a documentary that aired on the BBC this week. The program features commentary written by Jamaica Kincaid. I can't remember if it was written for the film, or taken from one of her books. Anyway if you get the chance to watch the documentary in a theatre or on video, you'll no doubt see another side to Kincaid's writing. [/qb]

Life and Debt is the name of the documentary. The film credits include the following:

Narration Written by Jamaica Kincaid
based on "A Small Place" (c) 1987

Life and Debt site


A Small Place was written by Kincaid about her native Antigua. I haven't read it. Maybe now that sukuna is back on the board she can shed some light on that book...