Eric D. Walrond
Encyclopedia
Eric Derwent Walrond was an African-American Harlem Renaissance
writer, who made a lasting contribution to literature; his work still being in print today as a classic of its era. He was well-travelled, being born in Georgetown, Guyana
(British Guiana) the son of a Barbadian mother and a Guyanese father, moving early in life to live in Barbados, and then Panama, New York, and eventually England.
Eric Walrond's most famous book was Tropic Death, published in New York City
in 1926 when he was 28, in which he brought together ten stories, at least one of which had been previously published in small magazines. He had published other short stories prior to this, as well as a number of essays. The scholar Kenneth Ramchand described Walrond's book as a 'blistering' work of the imagination; others described his work as 'impressionistic' and 'frequently telegraphic', reflecting his use of short sentences. The following extract from his short story, Subjection, illustrates his more lyrical narrative style,
Much of the dialogue between Walrond's characters is written in dialect, using the many different tongues loosely centered on the English language to portray the diversity of characters associated with the Pan-Caribbean diaspora.
at the time when the Panama Canal
was being constructed. Here Eric Walrond completed his school education and became fluent in Spanish as well as English. Following training as a secretary and stenographer, he was employed as a clerk in the Health Department of the Canal Commission at Cristobal, and as a reporter for the Panama Star-Herald newspaper. In 1918 he moved to New York where he attended Columbia University
, being tutored by Dorothy Scarborough
.
, and after working briefly for Garvey, he became a protégé of the National Urban League's director Charles S. Johnson. Here he was a contributor to, and business manager of, the Urban League's Opportunity magazine between 1925–27, which had been founded in 1923 to help bring to prominence African-American contributors to the arts and politics of the 1920s. He was also a contributor to Smart Set, and Vanity Fair and Negro World
. His short stories included On Being Black (1922), On Being a Domestic (1923), Miss Kenny's Marriage(1923), The Stone Rebounds (1923), Vignettes of the Dusk (1924), The Black City (1924), and City Love (1927) - the year that Duke Ellington
began his career in New York and the Harlem Globetrotters
were founded. In 1928-9 Eric Walrond was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship
for Fiction.
. In later life he continued to employ his editorial skills from time to time, while working as an accountant.
At the age of 67 he collapsed on a street in central London and was pronounced dead on arrival at St. Bartholomew's Hospital. Following an autopsy he was buried at Abney Park Cemetery
, Stoke Newington
on 17 September 1966. After his death, which was in reduced circumstances, his early literary work has enjoyed wider recognition, as reflected in Winds Can Wake up the Dead... and The Penguin Book of Caribbean Short Stories, both published in the last decade. At the time, however, his passing appears to have gone relatively unnoticed, although Arna Bontemps
wrote of his death, from a fifth heart attack, in a letter to Langston Hughes
, dated 1 September 1966, and Countee Cullen
's well-known poem "Incident" is dedicated to Walrond.
Books
Further Reading
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke...
writer, who made a lasting contribution to literature; his work still being in print today as a classic of its era. He was well-travelled, being born in Georgetown, Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
(British Guiana) the son of a Barbadian mother and a Guyanese father, moving early in life to live in Barbados, and then Panama, New York, and eventually England.
Eric Walrond's most famous book was Tropic Death, published in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1926 when he was 28, in which he brought together ten stories, at least one of which had been previously published in small magazines. He had published other short stories prior to this, as well as a number of essays. The scholar Kenneth Ramchand described Walrond's book as a 'blistering' work of the imagination; others described his work as 'impressionistic' and 'frequently telegraphic', reflecting his use of short sentences. The following extract from his short story, Subjection, illustrates his more lyrical narrative style,
- A ram-shackle body, dark in the ungentle spots exposing it, jogged, reeled and fell at the tip of a white bludgeon. Forced a dent in the crisp caked earth. An isolated ear lay limp and juicy, like some exhausted leaf or flower, half joined to the tree whence it sprang. Only the sticky milk flooding it was crimson, crimsoning the dust and earth.
Much of the dialogue between Walrond's characters is written in dialect, using the many different tongues loosely centered on the English language to portray the diversity of characters associated with the Pan-Caribbean diaspora.
Education
When Eric Walrond was eight, his father left, and he moved with his mother, Ruth, to live with relatives in Barbados, where he attended St. Stephen's Boys' School, before moving to PanamaPanama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
at the time when the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
was being constructed. Here Eric Walrond completed his school education and became fluent in Spanish as well as English. Following training as a secretary and stenographer, he was employed as a clerk in the Health Department of the Canal Commission at Cristobal, and as a reporter for the Panama Star-Herald newspaper. In 1918 he moved to New York where he attended Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, being tutored by Dorothy Scarborough
Dorothy Scarborough
Dorothy Scarborough was an American writer who wrote about Texas, folk culture, cotton farming, ghost stories and a woman's life in the Southwest.-Early life:...
.
Harlem Renaissance Writer
In New York Eric Walrond worked at first as hospital secretary, porter, and stenographer. His utopian sketch of a united Africa, "A Senator's Memoirs" (1921) won a prize sponsored by Marcus GarveyMarcus Garvey
Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr., ONH was a Jamaican publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator who was a staunch proponent of the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements, to which end he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League...
, and after working briefly for Garvey, he became a protégé of the National Urban League's director Charles S. Johnson. Here he was a contributor to, and business manager of, the Urban League's Opportunity magazine between 1925–27, which had been founded in 1923 to help bring to prominence African-American contributors to the arts and politics of the 1920s. He was also a contributor to Smart Set, and Vanity Fair and Negro World
Negro World
Negro World was a weekly newspaper, established in January 1918 in New York City, which served as the voice of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League, an organization founded by Marcus Garvey in 1914...
. His short stories included On Being Black (1922), On Being a Domestic (1923), Miss Kenny's Marriage(1923), The Stone Rebounds (1923), Vignettes of the Dusk (1924), The Black City (1924), and City Love (1927) - the year that Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
began his career in New York and the Harlem Globetrotters
Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.Over...
were founded. In 1928-9 Eric Walrond was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
for Fiction.
Later Life in England
After a decade in America, Eric Walford left for England, where he met English writers and artists during the 1930s, including Winifred HoltbyWinifred Holtby
Winifred Holtby was an English novelist and journalist, best known for her novel South Riding.-Life and writings:...
. In later life he continued to employ his editorial skills from time to time, while working as an accountant.
At the age of 67 he collapsed on a street in central London and was pronounced dead on arrival at St. Bartholomew's Hospital. Following an autopsy he was buried at Abney Park Cemetery
Abney Park Cemetery
Abney Park in Stoke Newington, in the London Borough of Hackney, is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney and Dr. Isaac Watts, and the neighbouring Hartopp family. In 1840 it became a non-denominational garden cemetery, semi-public park arboretum, and...
, Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
on 17 September 1966. After his death, which was in reduced circumstances, his early literary work has enjoyed wider recognition, as reflected in Winds Can Wake up the Dead... and The Penguin Book of Caribbean Short Stories, both published in the last decade. At the time, however, his passing appears to have gone relatively unnoticed, although Arna Bontemps
Arna Bontemps
Arnaud "Arna" Wendell Bontemps was an American poet and a noted member of the Harlem Renaissance.- Life and career :...
wrote of his death, from a fifth heart attack, in a letter to Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance...
, dated 1 September 1966, and Countee Cullen
Countee Cullen
Countee Cullen was an American poet who was popular during the Harlem Renaissance.- Biography :Cullen was an American poet and a leading figure with Langston Hughes in the Harlem Renaissance. This 1920s artistic movement produced the first large body of work in the United States written by African...
's well-known poem "Incident" is dedicated to Walrond.
Books
- Walrond, Eric. (1926). Tropic Death. NY: Boni & Liveright
Further Reading
- Gable, Craig. Ebony Rising: Short Fiction of the Greater Harlem Renaissance
- Lewis, David Levering. When Harlem Was in Vogue
- Markham, E.A (1996). The Penguin Book of Caribbean Short Stories
- Parascandola, Louis J. (ed.) / Eric Walrond (1998). Winds Can Wake Up the Dead: an Eric Walrond Reader. Wayne State University Press.