Highlights from our 2019 Calendar
Roland E. Garth St. Omer was a prolific author and novelist. Born in Saint Lucia in January 1931, Garth pursued his secondary and tertiary education at the St. Mary’s College and the University of the West Indies respectively. He was a teacher whose experience started at the St. Mary’s College. He also taught in France and Ghana. Garth migrated to the USA in the 1970s and completed his doctoral studies in Comparative Literature at Princeton University in 1975. He then joined the English department of the University of California, Santa Barbara.
From the 1960s to 2015, Garth authored five major novels and several short stories which were published in well-known anthologies. His first and highly acclaimed novellas, “Syrop” (1964) introduced a myriad of themes and characters. His writings consistently addressed many complex issues, among them the existentialist despair of young men who do not see much of a future for themselves on the island of their birth. St. Omer was recognized internationally and regionally as a writer ahead of his time. Many Saint Lucian writers have acknowledged in various ways their debt to him.
His accolades include:
Saint Lucia Medal of Merit Gold (2001)
The third honoree of the CDF Cultural Icon Series (2017) in recognition of his significant contribution to Arts and Literature
#DouvanAnsanm #CelebratingOurPeople #SaintLucia #Independence43 #GwanGwèkKilté
