Derek Walcott Biography (1930-)

Full name, Derek Alton Walcott; born January 23, 1930, in Castries, St. Lucia, West Indies; son of Warwick (a civil servant) and Alix (a teacher) Walcott;married Fay Moston, 1954 (divorced, 1959); married Margaret Ruth Maillard, 1962 (divorced); married Norline Metivier (an actress and dancer; divorced); children: (first marriage) one son; (second marriage) two daughters. Addresses: Office--Boston University Department of English, 236 Bay St. Rd., Boston, MA 02215. Agent--Bridget Aschenberg, International Famous Agency, 1301Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019. Contact-- Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 19 Union Sq. W., New York, NY 10003.

Nationality
Saint Lucian
Gender
Male
Birth Details
January 23, 1930
Castries, St. Lucia

Famous Works

  • Credits; TELEVISION APPEARANCES; SPECIALS
  • And the Pursuit of Happiness, HBO, 1986.
  • Joseph Brodsky: A Maddening Space, PBS, 1990.
  • The 1992 Nobel Prizes, TBS, 1992.
  • Writings;PLAYS
  • Henri Christophe: A Chronicle in Seven Scenes, produced in Castries, St. Lucia, West Indies, 1950, then London, England, 1951, published by Advocate (Bridgetown, Barbados), 1950.
  • Harry Dernier: A Play for Radio Production, published by Advocate,1951.
  • Wine of the Country, published by University College of the West Indies (Mona, Jamaica), 1953.
  • The Sea at Dauphin: A Play in One Act, produced in Mona, Jamaica,1953, then London, 1960, published by Extra-Mural Department, University College of the West Indies, 1954.
  • Ione: A Play with Music, produced in Port of Spain, Trinidad, 1957, published by Extra-Mural Department, University College of the West Indies,1957.
  • Drums and Colours: An Epic Drama, produced in Kingston, Trinidad,1958, published in Caribbean Quarterly, March-June, 1961.
  • Ti-Jean and His Brothers, produced in Port of Spain, Trinidad, 1958, produced Off-Broadway at Delacorte Theatre, 1972.
  • Malcochon; or, Six in the Rain(one-act), produced as Malcochon inCastries, St. Lucia, 1959, produced in London under title Six in the Rain, 1960, produced Off-Broadway at St. Mark's Playhouse, 1969, published by Extra-Mural Department, University of West Indies, 1966.
  • Dream on Monkey Mountain, produced in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 1967, then Off-Broadway at St. Mark's Playhouse, 1971.
  • In a Fine Castle, produced in Jamaica, 1970, then Los Angeles, CA,1972.
  • The Joker of Seville (musical), produced in Port of Spain, Trinidad, 1974.
  • The Charlatan, produced in Los Angeles, 1974.
  • O Babylon!, produced in Port of Spain, Trinidad, 1976.
  • Remembrance (three-act), produced in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, 1977, then Off-Broadway at The Other Stage, 1979.
  • Pantomime, produced in Port of Spain, Trinidad, 1978, then Off- Broadway at the Hudson Guild Theater, 1986.
  • Beef, No Chicken, Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, CT, 1982.
  • The Isle Is Full of Noises, John W. Huntington Theater, Hartford,CT, 1982.
  • Steel, American Repertory Theatre, Cambridge, MA, 1991.
  • Odyssey: A Stage Version, The Pit, London, 1993, published by Farrar, Straus, 1993.
  • (With Paul Simon) The Capeman: A Musical (produced on Broadway atthe Marquis Theater, December, 1997), published by Farrar, Straus, 1998.
  • Also author of Franklin, a Tale of the Islands, Jourmard, and To Die forGrenada.
  • Writings;COLLECTED PLAYS
  • Dream on Monkey Mountain and Other Plays(contains Dream on MonkeyMountain, The Sea at Dauphin: A Play in One Act, Malcochon; or, Six in the Rain, Ti-Jean and His Brothers, and the essay "What the Twilight Says: An Overture"), Farrar, Straus, 1970.
  • The Joker of Seville and O Babylon!: Two Plays, Farrar, Straus, 1978.
  • Remembrance and Pantomime: Two Plays, Farrar, Straus, 1980.
  • Three Plays (contains The Last Carnival, Beef, No Chicken, and A Branch of the Blue Nile), Farrar, Straus, 1986.
  • The Haitian Trilogy (contains Henri Christophe, Drums and Colours, and The Haytian Earth), Farrar, Straus, 2001.
  • Writings;POETRY
  • Twenty-Five Poems, Guardian Commercial Printery, 1948.
  • Epitaph for the Young: A Poem in XII Cantos, Advocate (Bridgetown,Barbados), 1949.
  • Poems, Kingston City Printery (Jamaica), 1953.
  • In a Green Night: Poems, 1948-1960, J. Cape, 1962.
  • Selected Poems (includes poems from In a Green Night: Poems, 1948- 1960), Farrar, Straus, 1964.
  • The Castaway and Other Poems, J. Cape, 1965.
  • The Gulf and Other Poems, J. Cape, 1969, published with selections from The Castaway and Other Poems as The Gulf: Poems, Farrar, Straus, 1970.
  • Another Life (long poem), Farrar, Straus, 1973, second edition published with introduction, chronology and selected bibliography by Robert D. Hammer, Three Continents Press, 1982.
  • Sea Grapes, J. Cape, 1976, revised edition, Farrar, Straus, 1976.
  • Selected Verse, Heinemann, 1976.
  • The Star-Apple Kingdom, Farrar, Straus, 1979.
  • The Fortunate Traveller, Farrar, Straus, 1981.
  • Selected Poetry, selected, annotated, and introduced by Wayne Brown, Heinemann, 1981, revised edition, 1993.
  • The Caribbean Poetry of Derek Walcott, and the Art of Romare Beardon, Limited Editions Club (New York), 1983.
  • Midsummer, Farrar, Straus, 1984.
  • Collected Poems, 1948-1984, Farrar, Straus, 1986.
  • The Arkansas Testament, Farrar, Straus, 1987.
  • Omeros, Farrar, Straus, 1989.
  • Collected Poems, Faber (London), 1990.
  • Poems, 1965-1980, J. Cape, 1992.
  • Derek Walcott: Selected Poems, Longman (London), 1993.
  • The Bounty, Farrar, Straus, 1997.
  • Tiepolo's Hound, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (New York, NY), 2000.
  • Contributor of poems to numerous periodicals, including New Statesman,London Magazine, Encounter, Evergreen Review, Caribbean Quarterly, TamarackReview, and Bim.
  • Writings;OTHER
  • The Antilles: Fragments of Epic Memory; The Nobel Lecture, Farrar,Straus, 1993.
  • What the Twilight Says (essays), Farrar, Straus, 1998.
  • Feature writer, Public Opinion; art critic and book reviewer, Trinidad Guardian.

Further Reference

PERIODICALS

  • New Yorker, December 12, 1992, pp. 71-9.