Cynthia James

Cynthia James (born 1948) is a Trinidadian Canadian writer and literary theorist.

Early life and education Cynthia James was born in Sangre Grande, Trinidad and Tobago, in 1948. She was raised in Salybia, a village on the coast, and her parents were both teachers.

James attended St. George's College in Barataria, and then in 1969 she obtained a bachelor's degree in French, Spanish, and English from the University of the West Indies at St. Augustine. She later graduated with a master of art degree from the university.

Career James continued her academic career at the University of the West Indies at St. Augustine, lecturing on language education and other subjects. She also served on the university's advisory board and published extensively in academic journals. Her first book of literary criticism, The Maroon Narrative, was published in 2002; it focuses on Caribbean literature in English.

She also worked for many years as a public school teacher in Trinidad.

Writing James had early success as a playwright, winning the country's first play-writing competition in 1979 with the work No Resolution.

Awards and honours In 2013, she was awarded the Caribbean Writers Canute A. Brodhurst Prize for Fiction.

Personal life James currently lives in Toronto, Canada, where she moved in the late 2000s.

Selected works

Short stories Soothe Me Music (1990)

Poetry Iere, My Love (1990) Vigil: A Long Poem (1995) La Vega and Other Poems (1995) Watermarked (2014)

Novels Bluejean (2000) Sapodilla Terrace (2006) I Dreamt You Planting Corn and Marigolds (2023)

Literary criticism The Maroon Narrative (2002)