Ian Thomson has contributed to BBC Radio since 1988, first appearing on the World Service book programme ‘Meridian’ Guardian books podcast: Travel writing’s new frontiers 9 Jul 2010 As Ian Thomson’s study of Jamaica, The Dead Yard, wins the Dolman Prize, he discusses new directions for travel writing. Great Lives – BBC 21 May 2013 …
A collection of dark stories from Jamaica’s capital city, edited by Colin Channer. From Ian Thomson’s contribution, ‘A Grave Undertaking’ How my father came to die in Kingston, the unfortunate circumstances of his death there, remains unclear. Was it an accident? Nothing is known for sure. But this much I do know: my parents had …
Winner: Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize 2010 and the Dolman Travel Prize 2010. Jamaica used to be the source of much of Britain’s wealth: it was a tropical paradise for the planters and a Babylonian exile for the slaves cultivating the sugar. Since independence in 1962, the life of the West Indian island has …
When Graham Greene died in 1991, at the age of 86, his reputation as a “Catholic” writer was assured. His books reflected an awareness of sin and confronted political and religious themes with a sombre eye. From 1936 to 1987, the British Catholic journal The Tablet provided Greene with a forum for his works-in-progress and …
Articles of Faith: Graham Greene’s Contributions to The Tablet Read More »
In 2014, four years after the earthquake, Ian Thomson returned to Haiti. Reissue of the classic 1992 book, with a new post-earthquake foreword by the author. From the Foreword On 12 January 2010, René Préval was Haitian president when the country was devastated by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake. Downtown Port-au-Prince had been teeming as usual that …
Bonjour Blanc: A Journey Through Haiti (Reissue) Read More »
