Playwright, poet and teacher. Derek Walcott was born in Castries, St. Lucia, 1930. After studying at St. Mary's College in his native island and at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, Walcott moved in 1953 to Trinidad, where he has worked as a theater and art critic. At the age of 18, he made his debut with "25 Poems," but his breakthrough came with the collection of poems, "In a green night" (1962). In 1959, he founded the Trinidad Theatre Workshop, which produced many of his early plays. Walcott has been an assiduous traveler to other countries but has always felt himself deeply-rooted in Caribbean society with its cultural fusion of African, Asiatic and European elements. For many years, he has divided his time between Trinidad, where he has his home as a writer, and Boston University, where he teaches literature and creative writing.
Walcott's awards and honors include: Rockefeller fellowship, 1957; Jamaica Drama Festival prize, 1958, for "Drums and colors: an epic drama;" Guinness Award, 1961, for "A sea-chantey;" Borestone Mountain poetry awards, 1963, for "Tarpon," and "Midsummer, England," 1976. He was named fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, 1966; Eugene O'Neill Foundation-Wesleyan University fellowship, 1969; Order of the Humming Bird, Trinidad and Tobago, 1969; Obie Award, 1971, for "Dream on Monkey Mountain;" honorary doctorate of letters, University of the West Indies, 1972; he was also named honorary member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, 1979; Los Angeles Times Book Review Prize in poetry, 1986, for "Collected poems, 1948-1984," Queen Elizabeth II Gold Medal for Poetry, 1988; Nobel Prize for literature, 1992.
Walcott, Derek. Malcochon!
Walcott, Derek. Dream on Monkey Mountain.
Walcott, Derek. Upon this rock.
Walcott, Derek. Isle is full of noises.
Walcott, Derek. Remembrances.
Walcott, Derek. Viva Detroit.
Walcott, Derek. Beef, no chicken.
Negro Ensemble Company.