Two of Guyana’s cultural and artistic giants were born on November 22 and 23 respectively. To celebrate their birthdays, they got together on the 22nd celebrated through the night until the 23rd so that both birthdays would be given due recognition. I heard the story twice from Stanley Greaves. The first was at an exhibition of new paintings, ‘Dialogue with Wilson Harris,’ in November last year at Castellani House in celebration of his 80th birthday. I heard it again in a brief address by Stanley at a book launching last Monday on the life of the late Wordsworth McAndrew, in which he again related the story. We can only assume that these annual events inspired them to greater achievements.
Roy Brummel, a widely known educator and folklorist himself, wrote a book, ‘Mih Buddybo Mac’ (My Brother Mac), Part 1, on the life and work of Wordsworth McAndrew, and introduced it to the Guyanese public at Moray House last Monday evening. He also introduced his novel, Halfway Tree, a must read. Roy’s biography of Wordsworth, his novel, the works of Stanley Greaves and of Wordworth McAndrew, show that although circumstances have taken them far from Guyana, Guyana has never been far from them, as Roy said. The creative impetus, inspired by the homeland and the common heritage, remained intact.
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