Kenneth Ramchand (born 1939) is a
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
academic and writer, who is widely respected as "arguably the most prominent living critic of Caribbean fiction". He has written extensively on many West Indian authors, including
V. S. Naipaul
Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul (; 17 August 1932 – 11 August 2018) was a Trinidadian-born British writer of works of fiction and nonfiction in English. He is known for his comic early novels set in Trinidad, his bleaker novels of alienati ...
,
Earl Lovelace
Earl Wilbert Lovelace (born 13 July 1935) is a Trinidadian novelist, journalist, playwright, and short story writer. He is particularly recognized for his descriptive, dramatic fiction on Trinidadian culture: "Using Trinidadian dialect patterns a ...
and
Sam Selvon, as well as editing several significant cultural publications. His seminal text, ''The West Indian Novel and Its Background'' (1970), had a transformational effect on the syllabus of the
University of the West Indies (UWI) and the internationalization of
West Indian literature as an academic discipline.
["Kenneth Ramchand", NALIS.]
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Ramchand is Professor Emeritus
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
of English at the St. Augustine campus of UWI. Until his resignation in June 2009,["NAPA tension led to resignation"]
''Newsday'' 21 March 2010. he was associate provost at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT). He was for some years an independent Senator in the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago. Ramchand is also an Emeritus Professor at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York
Hamilton is a town in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 6,690 at the 2010 census. The town is named after American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.
The Town of Hamilton contains a village also named Hamilton, the s ...
.
Career
Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Ramchand holds an MA and PhD from the University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
, where he attended as a scholarship student (1959–63).
His first book, ''The West Indian Novel and Its Background'', was published in 1970, and he has noted: "I wrote it at just the right time. It was influential in the creation and internationalization of an academic discipline called 'West Indian Literature'; it stimulated the development of graduate studies in the Department of English of the University of the West Indies; and it was seminal in the transformation of the syllabus of 'English' at the University of the West Indies." Ramchand was UWI's first Professor of West Indian Literature and he was Head of the Department of Liberal Arts at St. Augustine for several years.["Professor Kenneth Ramchand, Chairman of UTT"]
University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT).
He has also been a Senior Fulbright Scholar affiliated to Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
and the University of Tulsa at Oklahoma, a Visiting Professor at 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 ...
and Colgate University, as well as a Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Olga and Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died on April 26, 1922. The organization awards Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been ...
.
In 2005 he was appointed chairman of the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT), a position he held until 2009.
Awards
In 1996, Ramchand was awarded a Trinidad and Tobago Chaconia Medal
The Chaconia Medal is the second highest state decoration of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Established in 1969, the medal honours long and meritorious service to promote national welfare or community spirit. It is awarded in three classes: ...
Gold for his work in Literature, Education and Culture.
In 2012, the National Library of Trinidad and Tobago honoured him with a NALIS Lifetime Literary Achievement Award.
At the 2014 NGC Bocas Lit Fest, Ramchand was honoured alongside Professor Gordon Rohlehr with the Bocas Henry Swanzy Award for Distinguished Service to Caribbean Letters, which recognises the lifetime achievement of editors, publishers, critics and broadcasters.[Michelle Loubon]
"Enjoying every word"
''Trinidad Express Newspapers'', 21 March 2014.
Bibliography
* ''West Indian Narrative: an Introductory Anthology'' (editor). London: Nelson, 1966.
* ''The West Indian Novel and its Background''. London: Faber, 1970.
* ''An Introduction to the Study of West Indian Literature''. Sunbury-on-Thames: Nelson Caribbean, 1976.
* ''West Indian Poetry: An Anthology for Schools'' (editor). London: Longman, 1989.
* ''Act of Possession: the New World of West Indian Writing''. Port of Spain: Bank of Trinidad and Tobago, 1991.
Awards
* 1987: BWIA Excellence in Journalism award
* 1996: Trinidad and Tobago Chaconia Medal Gold (for Literature, Education, and Culture)
* 2014: Bocas Henry Swanzy Award
References
External links
* Hannah McGurk
"Kenneth Ramchand"
''UncoverED'' – A collaborative decolonial research project.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramchand, Kenneth
Trinidad and Tobago non-fiction writers
Members of the Senate (Trinidad and Tobago)
Trinidad and Tobago people of Indian descent
1939 births
Living people
Trinidad and Tobago academics
University of the West Indies academics
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Recipients of the Chaconia Medal
Trinidad and Tobago male writers
Male non-fiction writers