Harold Sonny Ladoo
Encyclopedia
Harold Sonny Ladoo was a Caribbean
novelist and author of two books documenting the struggles of living in poverty in the Hindu
communities of Trinidad and Tobago
.
Ladoo was born and grew up in an environment much like the world of his novels. He was born in Trinidad into extreme poverty and immigrated to Toronto
, Canada
with his wife and son in 1968 to study English at the University of Toronto
.
It was during this time that he wrote his first and most notable novel No pain like this body, published in 1972. The novel is a vivid story of a young boy growing up in a small Caribbean rice-growing community. It focuses on the day-to-day struggles of a single family through illness, storm, and violence during the August rainy season. The writing is raw and often naïve yet manages to create a visceral experience.
His second book, Yesterdays was a much more upbeat book about a young man attempting to launch a Hindu Mission to Canada.
His third book that was intended to be last book of a trilogy, however in 1973 while on a visit home to his Calcutta Settlement, he was mysteriously killed and his body was found on the side of a road in Trinidad.
The University of Toronto Mississauga campus (formerly Erindale College), offers to students The Harold Sonny Ladoo Book Prize for Creative Writing ever year.
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
novelist and author of two books documenting the struggles of living in poverty in the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
communities of Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
.
Ladoo was born and grew up in an environment much like the world of his novels. He was born in Trinidad into extreme poverty and immigrated to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
with his wife and son in 1968 to study English at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
.
It was during this time that he wrote his first and most notable novel No pain like this body, published in 1972. The novel is a vivid story of a young boy growing up in a small Caribbean rice-growing community. It focuses on the day-to-day struggles of a single family through illness, storm, and violence during the August rainy season. The writing is raw and often naïve yet manages to create a visceral experience.
His second book, Yesterdays was a much more upbeat book about a young man attempting to launch a Hindu Mission to Canada.
His third book that was intended to be last book of a trilogy, however in 1973 while on a visit home to his Calcutta Settlement, he was mysteriously killed and his body was found on the side of a road in Trinidad.
The University of Toronto Mississauga campus (formerly Erindale College), offers to students The Harold Sonny Ladoo Book Prize for Creative Writing ever year.