Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE ARTS
Relative to its neighbors, the Bahamas' intellectual tradition is comparatively weak and, for
a capital city, Nassau has been surprisingly unsophisticated in the visual and performance
arts. Things have been changing, however, especially in music and art - and with the open-
ing of the National Gallery in Nassau, displays of really impressive works are gaining their
rightful place in Bahamian society.
Literature
While the Bahamas has produced no writer of world renown, the nation does have its literati.
Few, however, are known even within the Caribbean region.
The Bahamas has an adult literacy rate of almost 96%, putting it ahead of
Singapore and Portugal, but behind the US and England.
Bahamian Anthology
(published by the College of the Bahamas) is a selection of poetry,
stories and plays by Bahamian writers. In a similar poetic vein, try
Bahamas: In a White
Coming On
by Dennis Ryan.
The Bahamas has been the setting for work of more notable, non-Bahamian writers. Ern-
est Hemingway's
Islands in the Stream
is a fictitious but accurate look at the Biminis' his-
tory and his own brutish ways during WWII.
Robert Wilder's
Wind from the Carolinas
is a historical novel that tells of the settlement
of the Bahamas in the form of a generational saga. And Barbara Whitnell's
The Salt Rakers
follows suit.
A more contemporary romp is Herman Wouk's
Don't Stop the Carnival,
the tale of a pub-
licist who gives it all up to open a hotel on a fictitious Caribbean isle.
FOLKTALES & CHILDREN'S STORIES
Several books trace the evolution and meaning of Bahamian folktales, including
Bahamian Lore: Folk Tales and Songs
by Robert Curry. Patricia Glinton-Meich-
olas is another name to look out for, this prolific writer has a real panache in
bringing oral histories and folktales to life. Her collection
An Evenin' in Guan-
ima: A Treasury of Folktales from The Bahamas
is a great introduction to the Ba-
hamas.
Telcine Turner's
Once Below a Time: Bahamian Stories
is an illustrated col-
lection of short stories for children. Likewise, youngsters might enjoy
Climbing
Clouds: Stories & Poems from The Bahamas,
also edited by Turner, and
Who Let
the Dog Out? (Dottie's Story)
by Carole Hughes, a story about a Dalmatian born
into Green Turtle Cay who heads off to explore the world.
