People ask me constantly why I decided to write my first novel, ‘Born in the Briar Patch.’ The first reason is that I was born in Barbados and secondly, I was always told that I should write what I know about, and I certainly know a lot about Barbados. I am not the first author to write The Barbadian story, but ‘Born in the Briar Patch’ is an all encompassing story of what life was really like on the island for the poor, after the abolition of slavery and post colonial rule especially on the many plantations which dotted the island. Caryl Philips and Andrea Levy have done a good job with their books on these subjects.
There are words in the Barbadian vocabulary that are slowly slipping away. My first thought was to write a book compiling a list of the words we had used when I was young girl, but someone had already beaten me to it. When I asked a young Barbadian girl in Barbados if she knew what a wagon was, she said she knew and she did. A wagon is a compartment on a train. She was correct, but what I really wanted to know was the definition of ‘wagon’ as the older generation of Barbadians knew it. A wagon back then was a piece of furniture in the living room or front house, where one displayed the best of one’s eating and drinking utensils. It usually consisted of three shelves. The top shelf was reserved for the Royal Doulton figurines and the oil lamps, the second shelf for the glasses and the third shelf for the crockery, like the good plates and the soup tureen which were only used when guests came to the home.
Although the word wagon was never used in that context in ‘Born in the Briar Patch,’ every Barbadian knows that Nellie must have had a wagon in her living room.
I am still very happy that I wrote Born in the Briar Patch because I have seen the recognition on the many faces in the audience, when I read excerpts from the book. Write to me. Let me know what your favourite passages are from ‘Born in the Briar Patch’ or send me your best old Barbadian story.
There are words in the Barbadian vocabulary that are slowly slipping away. My first thought was to write a book compiling a list of the words we had used when I was young girl, but someone had already beaten me to it. When I asked a young Barbadian girl in Barbados if she knew what a wagon was, she said she knew and she did. A wagon is a compartment on a train. She was correct, but what I really wanted to know was the definition of ‘wagon’ as the older generation of Barbadians knew it. A wagon back then was a piece of furniture in the living room or front house, where one displayed the best of one’s eating and drinking utensils. It usually consisted of three shelves. The top shelf was reserved for the Royal Doulton figurines and the oil lamps, the second shelf for the glasses and the third shelf for the crockery, like the good plates and the soup tureen which were only used when guests came to the home.
Although the word wagon was never used in that context in ‘Born in the Briar Patch,’ every Barbadian knows that Nellie must have had a wagon in her living room.
I am still very happy that I wrote Born in the Briar Patch because I have seen the recognition on the many faces in the audience, when I read excerpts from the book. Write to me. Let me know what your favourite passages are from ‘Born in the Briar Patch’ or send me your best old Barbadian story.
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