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John Joseph Maria Figueroa (4 August 1920 – 5 March 1999) was a
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
n
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...
and educator.Pamela Beshoff
"Obituary: John Figueroa"
''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'', 11 March 1999. He played a significant role in the development of Anglophone
Caribbean literature Caribbean literature is the literature of the various territories of the Caribbean region. Literature in English from the former British West Indies may be referred to as Anglo-Caribbean or, in historical contexts, as West Indian literature. Most o ...
both as a poet and an anthologist. He contributed to the development of the
University College of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in th ...
as an early member of staff, and had a parallel career as a broadcaster, working for various media organizations including the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. He also taught in Jamaica,
Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
, the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
,
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
and
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
.


Biography

Figueroa was born in Jamaica, the eldest of the 13 children (10 of whom survived infancy) of Blanche Maria Palomino and Rupert Aston Figueroa.Esther Figueroa
"You Are Not Forgotten – The Literary Heritage of John Figueroa"
''Caribbean Literary Heritage'', 7 June 2019. He was educated at St George's College, and won a scholarship to attend Holy Cross College,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
, graduating in 1942. He then taught at St George's College and at Wolmer's School in Jamaica.
Philip Nanton Philip Nanton (born 1947) is a Vincentian writer, poet and spoken-word performer, based in Barbados. A sociologist by training, who also teaches cultural studies, he is Honorary Research Associate at the University of Birmingham, and lectures at ...

"Wise words from the Caribbean" (John Figueroa obituary)
''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', 16 March 1999. ''Blue Mountain Peak'', his first collection of poetry, appeared in 1944. In 1946 he went on a
British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...
fellowship to the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
to study for a teaching diploma and a master's degree in education. He subsequently taught in some London schools, and spent six years as an English and philosophy lecturer at the
Institute of Education IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society (IOE) is the education school of University College London (UCL). It specialises in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and is one of UCL's 11 constituent faculties. Prior to ...
. He also contributed criticism, stories and poetry to the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's '' Caribbean Voices'' radio programme produced by
Henry Swanzy Henry Swanzy (14 June 1915 – 19 March 2004) was an Anglo-Irish radio producer in Britain's BBC General Overseas Service who is best known for his role in promoting West Indian literature particularly through the programme ''Caribbean Voices'' ...
. In Jamaica Figueroa became the first West Indian to be appointed to a chair at the
University College of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in th ...
, and the first Dean of the Faculty of Education. Between 1964 and 1966 he was a visiting professor first at Rhode Island University and then
Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...
. In the early 1970s he became Professor of Humanities leading the Department of Education of the Centro Caribeno de Estudios Postgraduados, Puerto Rico. From 1976 to 1980 he was Professor of Education at the
University of Jos The University of Jos, abbreviated as Unijos, is a Federal University in Jos, Plateau State, central Nigeria. History What became the University of Jos was established in November 1971 from the satellite campus of the University of Ibadan. ...
in
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. In the 1980s he moved to the UK, where he worked for the
Open University The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...
, was a Fellow at the Centre for Caribbean Studies,
University of Warwick , mottoeng = Mind moves matter , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £7.0 million (2021) , budget = £698.2 million (2020 ...
, and an adviser in multicultural education in Manchester. He edited the pioneering two-volume anthology ''Caribbean Voices'' (vol. 1: ''Dreams and Visions'' and vol. 2: ''The Blue Horizons'', 1966 and 1970 respectively), comprehensive landmark collections of West Indian poetry. He was also the first general editor of the Heinemann Caribbean Writers Series. He also played an important role in the development of Caribbean studies as a founder member of the Caribbean Studies Association and the Society for Caribbean Studies. His own poetry "reflects his origins as a Jamaican of ispanicdescent and a Catholic who, whilst deeply committed to the Caribbean, was concerned to maintain he diversity of itsheritage without apology. He insisted that drums were not the only Caribbean musical instrument (no doubt a dig at Kamau Brathwaite) and championed Derek Walcott's relationship to the classical and European literary tradition. Ironically, one of Figueroa's most effective poems is in
Nation language "Nation language" is the term coined by scholar and poet Kamau Brathwaite McArthur, Tom,"Nation language" ''Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language'', 1998. and now commonly preferred to describe the work of writers from the Caribbean and ...
." In the words of Andrew Salkey, "The phrase 'cosmopolitan poet' does not really adequately describe him or the impact that he has had on Anglophone Caribbean poetry, but it certainly goes some way in defining a part of his concern in not being tagged as regional or provincial. This is so because he is absolutely free from national limitations."Andrew Salkey, ''
World Literature Today ''World Literature Today'' is an American magazine of international literature and culture, published at the University of Oklahoma. The stated goal of the magazine is to publish international essays, poetry, fiction, interviews, and book revie ...
''. The influence of classical poets like Horace,
Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: th ...
and Sappho is balanced by his linguistic attention to Jamaican speech and Trinidadian calypso music.


Archives

Figueroa's papers were donated by his daughter to the University of the West Indies at Mona and are housed in two collections: one at the UWI Archive, the other at the West Indies Collection at the Library.


Works

* ''Blue Mountain Peak: Poetry & Prose'' (privately published, Jamaica, 1944). * ''Love Leaps Here'' (privately published, UK, 1962). * ''Ignoring Hurts'' (Three Continents Press, Washington, 1976) * ''The Chase: A Collection of Poems 1941–1989'' (Peepal Tree Press, 1991) * As editor: ''Caribbean Voices'', vol. 1: ''Dreams and Visions'' (1966) and vol. 2, ''The Blue Horizons''.


Further reading

*
Daryl Cumber Dance Daryl Cumber Dance (born January 17, 1938) is an American academic best known for her work on black folklore. Biography Daryl Veronica Cumber was born in Richmond, Virginia, to Allen and Veronica Bell Cumber. She attended Ruthville High School in ...
(ed.)
''Fifty Caribbean Writers: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook''
Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1986, pp. 178–84.


See also

*
Caribbean poetry Caribbean poetry is vast and rapidly evolving field of poetry written by people from the Caribbean region and the diaspora. Caribbean poetry generally refers to a myriad of poetic forms, spanning epic, lyrical verse, prose poems, dramatic poet ...
*
Caribbean literature Caribbean literature is the literature of the various territories of the Caribbean region. Literature in English from the former British West Indies may be referred to as Anglo-Caribbean or, in historical contexts, as West Indian literature. Most o ...


References


External links


List of notable reviews of Figueroa's work.
* Pamela Beshoff

''The Independent'', 11 March 1999. * Erika J. Waters
"Interview with John J. M. Figueroa"
''The Caribbean Writer''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Figueroa, John 20th-century Jamaican poets Jamaican male poets Latin Americanists Academic staff of the University of the West Indies 1920 births 1999 deaths Alumni of the University of London Academic staff of the University of Jos Jamaican expatriates in Nigeria People from Kingston, Jamaica Recipients of the Musgrave Medal 20th-century male writers Jamaican expatriates in the United Kingdom Jamaican expatriates in the United States