UmitedNalionsEducatíonal, Scienlific and

CUltural Organization

Trinidad and TobagoNational Commission for UNESCO15 Wainwright Street, SI. Clair, Trinidad, West IndiesTelephone: (868) 622 0939/6280711 /622 8412Fax: (868) 6228909E-mail: tlltllcll1zesco@istt.net.tt

Celebratin 50. Years o UNESÇQ ~n Trinidad.l!:IJ.4Toba o

12th September 2012

Mr. Vitor Manoel Marques da FonsecaPresident - MOWLACArquivo NacionalPraça da República, 173 - GABIN - Centro20211-350 - Rio de Janeiro - RJBRAZIL

Dear Mr. Marques:

Re: Sam Selvon Collection - Nomination for the Regional Register, 2012

The Trinidad and Tobago Memory of the World Committee of the National Commission forUNESCO, is pleased to submit the attached nomination form, in English and Spanish, for theSam Selvon Collection.

The collection provides documentary evidence of the work of an important writer, SamuelSelvon (1923-1994), who contributed to the development of Caribbean literature. His collectionis currently housed at the Alma Jordan Library of the University of the West Indies, St.Augustine campus.

The National Commission for UNESCO thanks MOWLAC for this opportunity and looksforward to favourable consideration of the Sam Selvon Collection.

Sincerely,

Susan ShurlandSecretary General

c.c. Dr. Kris Rampersad, Chair, National Commission for UNESCOMrs. Joan Osbome, Chairperson, TT Memory ofthe World CommitteeMs. Winsome Hudson, 1st Vice-President, MOWLAC

MEMORY OF THE WORLD REGISTER FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THECARIBBEAN

APPLICATION FORM 2012

Title of item being proposed,

Sam Selvon Collection

1.0 Summary (max 200 words)

Samuel Selvon (1923 -1994) was a leading writer of the Caribbean literary renaissance which began inthe 1950s. Other writers of this renaissance included George Lamming, V.S. Naipaul, and OerekWalcott. Selvon's lasting contribution to this movement was the prominence he gave to the dialects ofthe Caribbean. He was one of the first writers to deviate from standard English and use extensively thelanguages of the Caribbean, particularly of Trinidad and Tobago.

The collection is significant to the region as it provides documentary evidence of the work of animportant writer who contributed to the development of Caribbean literature. The collection containscorrespondence inciuding those of writers from the literary renaissance, poems, plays, short stories,articles and non-fiction works of Selvon, reviews, photographs and newspaper clippings accumulated bythe author. There are many unpublished items which scholars have already used to assess thescholarship of Selvon.

Oerek Walcott, whose collection is on the international Memory of the World register, paid tribute to thiswriter in 1969 by creating the production "The World of Samuel Selvon." Selvon continues to engagescholars as is evident by the recent publication The Poems of Samuel Selvon by Or. Roydon Salick in2012.

2.1 Name of nominators (person or organization)Ms Jennifer JosephCampus Librarian,The University of the West Indies,St. Augustine Campus,Trinidad and Tobago

Ms Lorraine NeroSpecial Collections Librarian,The Alma Jordan Library,The University of the West Indies,St. Augustine Campus,

Trinidad and Tobago

1

2.2 Relationship to the nominated documentary heritageCustodians of the Sam Selvon Collection

2.3 Contact person(s) (to provide information on nomination)Ms Jennifer Joseph, The Campus Librarian, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus,Trinidad and Tobago

Ms Lorraine Nero, The Alma Jordan Library, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus,Trinidad and Tobago

2.4 Contact details

Name: Ms Lorraine Nero Address The Alma Jordan Library, The University of the WestIndies, St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago

Telephone: 868-662-2002 ext.82132

Fax: 868 662-9238 Email: lorraine.nero@sta.uwi.edu

2.5 Declaration of authority

I certify that I have the authority to nominate the documentary heritage described in thisdocument to the Regional Memory of the World Register.

Full name (Please PRINT)

Institution(s), if appropriate

Date 12- - 09- j .L

3.0 Identity and description of the documentary heritage

3.1 Name and identification details of the items being nominatedIf inscribed, the exact title and institution(s) to appear on the certificate should be given

Sam Selvon Collection, 1948-1985The Alma Jordan Library, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad andTobago

The Sam Selvon Collection spans the period 1948-1985 and consists of manuscripts of Selvon'spublished works - poems, plays, short stories, articles and non-fiction. It also contains correspondenceand manuscripts of many unpublished items.

3.2 Catalogue or registration details

The Sam Selvon Collection is registered as SC33 in the Alma Jordan Library Catalogue. It contains

2

2675 items, or 8 boxes,1 O linear ft.

A guide to the collection "A Guide to the Samuel Selvon Collection: manuscripts, short stories and plays"was produced by Marilyn Geofroy in 1995.

The collection is organized as follows:Galley proofs record numbers 1-5Journal articles record numbers 6-23Journals record numbers 24-48Manuscripts, Handwritten record numbers 49-61Manuscripts, typed record numbers 62-249Music scores record numbers 250-259Newspaper clippings record numbers 260-602Correspondence arranged according to foldersPersonal material (including passport, diaries, certificates, diplomas)PhotographsSample entry in the guide:239

Selvon, Samuel. Zeppi's machine. 1976. England, London. 19 pages; foolscap onionskin. Note: 2copies. Second of 3 versions. Attached to first copy is a complimentary slip from the British BroadcastingCorporation. On the second copy is written 'Original Radio Drama - for production 1976. "tn Tacarigua,a smal/ vil/age, Jaldo a middle aged sugar-cane worker, has not been wel/ for sometime. "

3.3 Visual documentation if appropriate (for example, photographs, or a OVO of the documentaryheritage)

No visual documentation is attached.

3.4 History/provenanceThe material was amassed by the author and donated to The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine,in 1987 and transferred via Deed of Gift, s" September 1988.

3.5 BibliographySelected items

1. Catalan, Linnea Maureen. Queerly straight, racial/y queer: Constructions ot masculinity in SamuelSelvon's "The Lanely Londoners." Diss. Trent University, Canada. 2012.

2. Looker, Mark,1952- Attentic passages : history, community, and /anguage in the fiction of Sam

Se/von. New York : P. Lang, c1996.

3. Nasta, Sushelia, ed. Critica/ perspectives on Sam Se/van. Washington, D.C. : Three Continent Press, c

1988.

4. Salick, Roydon. The Nove/s af Samue/ Se/von. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2001.

5. Zehnder, Martin. Something rich and strange: se/ected essays on Samue/ Se/von. Leeds: Peepal

Tree, 2003.

6. Forthcoming: Salick, Roydon. Samuel Selvon (Writers & Their Work Series, 2012)

3

3.6 Names, qualifications and contact details of up to three independent people or organizationswith expert knowledge about the values and provenance of the documentary heritageName Qualifications Contact details

Stephanie Decouvelaere Ph.D. 22 Rue Creuzet69007 LyonFrancesdecouvelaere@yahoo.co.ukLand line 0033482318292Mobile 0033621786210

Roydon Salick Ph.D. 31 Caiman Rd.Elizabeth GardensMaracas St. JosephTrinidad and TobagoRoydonsalick@yahoo.com868 663-4156

The referees you cite will be asked for their opinions. UNESCO may also contact other authoritativereferees so that a good spectrum of opinion is available for assessment purposes .

.0 Legal information

4.1 Owner of the documentary heritage (name and contact details)

Name: The Alma Address: The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad andJordan Library Tobago

Telephone: 868-662-2002 ext. 82132

Facsimile: 868 662-9238

Email: almajordanlibrary@sta.uwi.edu

4.2 Custodian of the documentary heritage (name and cor.tact details if different from the owner)

Name Contact details AddressSame as above.

Telephone Facsimile Email

4.3 Legal status

4

lhe Collection was donated to the Alma Jordan Library in 1987 and transferred via Oeed of Gift 8September 1988.

4.4 Accessibility

lhe collection is available to scholars and researchers inside the West Indiana and Special CollectionsUnit of the Alma Jordan Library. Access is guided by the policies of the institution.Researchers are able to use the collection in a secure environment.lhe Collection has not been digitised and it is intended that this would be done in the future.

4.5 Copyright status

Ali rights to the materiais were transferred by Deed of Gift, s" September 1988.

5.0 Assessment against the selection criteria

5.1 Authenticity.

lhe material was amassed by the author and donated to lhe University of the West Indies, St.Augustine, in 1987.

lhe collection was used by Dr. Roydon Salick to verify and prepare work for his new publication. "lhepoems of Sam Selvon" lhe pre-publication release states:"This is the first collection of Sam Selvon's poems, thus rounding off the publication of the writer'sworks; his radio dramas, ballads, short stories, non-fiction pieces, and novels have been in print for along time. Roydon Salick has compiled the collection from records at UWI, lrinidad, the TrinidadGuardian and the BBC's Caribbean Voices. His comprehensive introduction and notes provide aninvaluable context for the work and a fascinating glimpse into Selvon as a poet."

5.2 Regional significance

lhe collection is significant to the region as it provides documentary evidence of the work of animportant writer who contributed to the development of Caribbean literature. In the renowned trilogyLone/y Londoners, Moses Ascending, and Moses Migra ting , Selvon captures class struggles; and thesociological and psychological experiences of the West Indian immigrant in Britain in the 1950s. Hisnovels inclusive of A Brighter Sun have been on the syllabi of the Caribbean Examination Council andthe reading lists of several Universities.

5

5.3 Comparative criteria:

Does the heritage meet any of the fo/lowing tests? (lt must meet at least one of them.)1 TimeSelvon wrote in an era which was described as the literary renaissance of the Caribbean and includedwriters such as CLR James, George Lamming, V.S. Naipaul and Derek Walcott. The manuscripts andnotes are significant because these add to the documentary heritage of an important era of theRegion's literary history.

2 PlaceDoes not apply.

3 PeopleThe close relationship among several prominent Caribbean Writers is reflected in the collection.Correspondence from some of the stalwarts of Caribbean literature include: George Lamming, AndrewSalkey, MP Alladin, Edward Braithwaite, Errol Hill, Frank Collymore, Errol John, Ron Ramdin, VictorReid, Wilson Harris, Cyril Dabydeen, and Garth St. Omer.

4 Subject and themeSimilar to V.S. Naipaul, the early fiction of Selvon, reviews the life and culture of the East Indians inTrinidad and Tobago society while the later novels explore the lives of Caribbean immigrants resident inGreat Britain. Some of the themes evident in his writings are the displacement of individuais, class andracial interaction and the search for identity. M. Looker writes that "His writing gave voice to a peoplejust stepping over the threshold of political independence" (Atlantic passages, Preface)

5 Form and styleSelvon was one of the first writers to experiment with the use of the Caribbean 'dialect' in his literature,and used it to shape the form of his work. Much critical works have been written on the style and formof Selvon; and Salick states that through the "use of the vernacular in new ways, Selvon liberates theWest Indian novel from the strictures of standard English, the language of the colonial master. "(Nove/sot Samuel Seivon, Introductían). While many writers use the dialect in the dialogue of characters,Selvon used the dialect in the voices of the narrator to write the stories.

M. Looker also suggests that "Selvon invented a literary language at once playful and engaged, movingto the rhythms of literary modernism as well as the Caribbean folktale and calypso." (Atlantic passages,Preface)

6 Sociall spirituall community significance:Does not apply.

6.0 Contextual information

6

6.1 RarityThe collection at the University of the West Indies provides substantial information on the work of theauthor including manuscripts and a number of unpublished items. It is to be noted that The HarryRansome Research Center at the University of Texas also has a small collection of Samuel Selvonpapers. This collection is 1.04 linear feet and is described in the finding aid as: "These papers consist ofholograph manuscripts, typescripts, book proofs, manuscript notebooks, and correspondence."

6.2 IntegrityThe collection at the University of the West Indies has remained intact since the acquisition; nomateriais have been separated or destroyed.

7.0 Consultation with stakeholders

7.1 Provide details of consultation about this nomination with the stakeholders in itssignificance and preservation.

The Trinidad and Tobago Memory of the World Committee was consulted and supports the nominationof this collection.

8.0 Assessment of risk

Detail the nature and scope of threats to thís documentary heritage.

In addition to the collection being subject to deterioration over time, the library is located in theCaribbean which is subject to storms and hurricanes.

9.0 Preservation and Access Management Plan

9.1 Is there a management plan in existence for this documentary heritage?

YES NO

The collection has been processed and is currently stored in acid free folders and boxes in regulatedenvironmental conditions. In 2008 à preservation review was conducted on this collection to examinefragile items, to document yellowing and to account for ali items.

10.0 Any other information

7

Selvon was born in San Fernando, Trinidad on 20th May 1923 and died in 1994. He worked as ajournalist with the Trinidad Guardian and later editor of the weekly literary magazine, The GuardianWeekly. He migrated to England in 1950 and worked on his writing career. As a writer Selvon producedworks of fiction, plays, poems, and drama for radio. He published 10 novels including: A Brighter Sun(1952), An Island is a World (1955), The Lonely Londoners (1956), Turn Again Tiger (1958), I HearThunder (1963), The Housing Lark (1965), The Plains of Caroni (1970), Those Who Eat the Cascadura(1972), Moses Ascending (1975) and Moses Migrating (1983). These have generated much scholarshipincluding articles, books and post graduate theses.

Selvon also sold several of his stories to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Caribbean andthese were aired in the popular Caribbean Voices Series. The series was an influential forum forCaribbean writers and helped define the genre of Caribbean literature. He also co-authored thefilmscript, Pressure with Horace Ové, which is described as one of the first black feature films in Britain.He has been the recipient of several awards including two Guggenheim Fellowships (1955, 1968),Trinidad and Tobago Hummingbird Gold Medal for Literature (1969), Best Novel Award from the WritersGuild of Alberta (1983), an honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies (1985) andUniversity of Warwick (1989). In 1995 the Trinidad and Tobago government gave him another nationalaward posthumously, the Chaconia Gold Medal for Literature.

8