About E. M. Roach
Lived 1915 – 1974 (aged 58). E. M. Roach was a writer and poet.
Eric Merton Roach (3 November 1915 – 18 April 1974) was a Tobagonian poet and playwright. He published some early writing under the pseudonym Merton Maloney.
Life Roach grew up in Mount Pleasant, Tobago:
Between 1949 and 1955, his poetry was frequently broadcast on the BBC programme Caribbean Voices.
Work Plays Belle Fanto: A Medium-length Play in 3 Acts, 1967 Letter from Leonora, 1968 A Calabash of Blood (a Full-length Play in 3 acts), 1971 New Dancers in the Dooryard (undated)
Poems The Flowering Rock: Collected Poems 1938–1974, Peepal Tree Press, 1992
Plays: performance history Belle Fanto Trinidad and Tobago Secondary Schools Drama Festival
1971: St. George's College (Trinidad and Tobago) directed by Slade Hopkinson. 1973: Palo Seco Government Secondary (Trinidad and Tobago) directed by B.T. Harry. 1982: Cowen Hamilton Secondary (Trinidad and Tobago) directed by Victor Edwards. 1988: San Fernando West Senior Comprehensive (Trinidad and Tobago) directed by Garvin McClean. 1989: Signal Hill Senior Comprehensive School (Trinidad and Tobago) directed by Cherryll Uzoruo. 1992: Aranguez Junior Secondary School (Trinidad and Tobago) directed by Susan Crichlow. 1993: Signal Hill Senior Comprehensive School (Trinidad and Tobago) directed by Cherryll Uzoruo. 1997: St. George's College (Trinidad and Tobago) directed by Rawle Carrington. 1999: Tranquillity Government Secondary (Trinidad and Tobago) directed by Karen Griffith. 2002: Cowen Hamilton Secondary School (Trinidad and Tobago) directed by Iezora Edwards.
Theatre companies The following theatre companies performed Belle Fanto:
San Fernando Theatre Workshop, directed by James Lee Wah Trinidad Theatre Workshop, directed by Derek Walcott The Tobago Drama Guild, directed by Peter Wheeler Thabiti
A Calabash of Blood 2019: The University of the West Indies, Department of Creative and Festival Arts, directed by Neriah Alfred 2021: The Tobago Drama Guild, directed by Peter Wheeler Thabiti 2023: The Tobago Drama Guild, directed by Peter Wheeler Thabiti
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Important facts
People in E. M. Roach's life
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Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was E. M. Roach?
Trinidadian writer (1915-1974)
When was E. M. Roach born?
E. M. Roach was born on 3 November 1915.
When did E. M. Roach die?
E. M. Roach died on 18 April 1974.
What was E. M. Roach's occupation?
E. M. Roach was a writer and poet.
What nationality was E. M. Roach?
E. M. Roach's recorded nationality: Trinidad and Tobago.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). E. M. Roach. https://biography.guide/e-m-roach/
MLA: "E. M. Roach." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/e-m-roach/.
Chicago: "E. M. Roach." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/e-m-roach/.
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