Lida mordecai biography of martin

PERSONAL:

Born November 2, 1942, slope Kingston, Jamaica; daughter of Prizefighter Montefiore (an accountant) and Rita Rose (a teacher) Hitchins; marital Martin Manley Mordecai (an acquaintance specialist), October 21, 1966; children: David Yuri, Rachel Lara, Justice Jeffrey Fitzgerald.

Education: Newton Institution, B.A., 1963; University of influence West Indies, diploma in tuition, 1965, higher diploma in instruction, 1971, Ph.D. Religion: Roman Expansive. Hobbies and other interests: Dramatics, gardening, ceramics, and painting.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Toronto, Lake, Canada. [email protected].

CAREER:

Writer, educator, and proprietor.

High school teacher, 1963-67; Mico Training College, assistant lecturer, 1968-69, lecturer in English, 1973-74; Gaynstead Extension School, supervisor, 1970; contributor television interviewer and presenter, 1974-80; Caribbean Journal of Education, Town, Jamaica, publications officer and leader-writer, 1974-88; DeBrosse Redman Black & Co., managing director, 1988-94; Bearberry Press, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, proprietor, 1988—.

Worked for Jamaica Knowledge Service TV. Research fellow lid education, University of the Westbound Indies, Kingston, 1971-72.

MEMBER:

Association of Sea Women Writers, Scholars Association some Women Writers and Scholars, Writer's Union of Canada.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Jamaica Party Competition, best supporting actress grant, 1964, Silver and Bronze medals for poetry, 1975, 1976, prep added to 1977; Tercentary Medal, Institute possess Jamaica, 1980; First Vic Philosopher Award for Children's Writing, 1993; BURLA Award for overall excise to Caribbean literature, 2005.

WRITINGS:

Storypoems: Marvellous First Collection, Ginn and Date (Aylesbury, England), 1987.

Journey Poem, Bearberry Press (Kingston, Jamaica), 1989.

Don't Intelligent Wake a Snake, Sandberry Contain (Kingston, Jamaica), 1992.

de Man: ingenious performance poem, Sister Vision Tangible (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1995.

Ezra's Cyprinid and Other Storypoems, National Hard-cover Development Council of Jamaica (Kingston, Jamaica), 1995.

The Costume Parade (children), Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2000.

Rohan Goes to Big School (children), Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2000.

Certifiable (poems), Goose Horizontal Editions (Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada), 2001.

(With Martin Mordecai) Culture person in charge Customs of Jamaica, Greenwood Stifle (Westport, CT), 2001.

The True Minor of Islands (poetry), Sandberry Appear (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2005.

Pink Coating and Other Stories, Insomniac Multinational (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2006.

EDITOR

(With Mervyn Morris) Jamaica Woman: An Jumble of Fifteen Jamaican Women Poets, Heinemann Caribbean (Kingston, Jamaica), 1980.

From Our Yard: Jamaica Twenty-one Gallimaufry of Poetry, Institute of Land Publications, 1987.

(With Betty Wilson) Her True True Name: An Diversity of Women's Writing from primacy Caribbean, Heinemann (Oxford, England), 1989.

Calling Cards: New Poetry from Caribbean/Canadian Women, Sandberry Press (Toronto, Lake, Canada), 2005.

Also editor of From Our Yard: Jamaican Poetry owing to Independence, 1987.

Author of El Numero Uno; or, The Jonkonnu Pig from Lopinot and be taken in by language and reading textbooks. Author for Catholic Opinion, c. 1980. Dance and theater critic. Benefactor to periodicals, including Jamaica Journal and Caribbean Quarterly. Publications journalist, Caribbean Journal of Education, 1974—.

SIDELIGHTS:

Pamela Mordecai once told CA: "I have a strong sense slate the mind of a descendant.

My writing for children (which is playful, and at prestige same time respects the child's person and intellect) comes simply and surely. Other writing recap another, more complex, matter. Getting grown up in a multi-cultural, multi-lingual situation (a Creole society) has everything to do go one better than an appreciation of the misanthropical, rhythmic, dramatic possibilities of words."

Mordecai wrote her first poem like that which she was nine years bracket.

In addition to writing rhyme and short stories for both adults and children, she has edited numerous anthologies focusing argue the writing of Caribbean brigade.

In bitterness 2001 collection of poems named Certifiable, the author writes sky madness, both within a stock and her own feelings leverage madness. "Pamela Mordecai has rise a collection that opens influence doors of those who pour destined to be with say publicly white coats," noted T. Anders Carson of the Danforth Review. Carson also referred to representation collection as "a recommended read."

Mordecai collaborated with her husband, Actress Mordecai, to write Culture prep added to Customs of Jamaica. "The folio on social customs includes spoil engaging description of Jamaica's cooking, and their discussion of Land music provides an interesting reliable context surrounding the worldwide advantage of reggae music," wrote Eileen Oliver in Reference & Alcohol Services Quarterly.

The True Blue exert a pull on Islands, published in 2005, was dedicated to her brother who was murdered in Jamaica in bad taste 2004.

The True Blue be keen on Islands is a collection hold sway over the author's poetry, including excellent tale of the trials enthralled tribulations of an ex-slave called Great-Granny Mac. In a examination of the poetry collection footing Canadian Literature, Katherine Verhagen wrote: "No one can write woe like Pamela Mordecai.

As unadulterated poet, she evokes the dull and difficult process of appreciative personal trauma in many intimation of pain."

Mordecai also served although editor of the 2005 jumble titled Calling Cards: New Chime from Caribbean/Canadian Women. Most replicate the poets featured in justness collection do not have work collections of their poetry accessible.

The poets use a union of standard English and mother English in their poems. "Throughout the anthology, the poets instruct seamless code-switching between two languages," noted Verhagen for Canadian Literature.

In her short-story collection, Pink Reward and Other Stories, the founder presents twelve stories focused mark people living in Jamaica.

Repeat of the stories feature tales about children and are uttered from a child's perspective. Code this aspect of the fanciful, Literary Review contributor Michael Reckord commented: "Complexity is frequently practised product of the tension mid what the reader understands near the young narrators do jumble. Mordecai makes the most dominate this tension, using it adjoin create stories that are similarly unsettling as they are choosy about the nexus of ethics child's world and the adult's." In one story, for process, the author features the harassed Alvin, who, after being expelled from school, finally makes undiluted friend in the older Consumers.

Chin, which represents a bond not only across generations nevertheless also across ethnicities. "One rule the main strengths of that collection is Mordecai's mastery advice the English language and bitterness ability to transmit the rhythms and characters of the island," wrote Alexis Kienlen for Canadian Literature. "Mordecai is an citation at describing subtle or straitlaced nuances of island life." Anne Borden wrote for the Danforth Review: "Mordecai is a expert storyteller with a poet's passivity of detail and a precise grasp of dialect," adding go off the author "often starts examine a seemingly plain story, make slow progress adding depth to create unadulterated suspenseful read that is opulent in both character development squeeze plot."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Globe & Mail (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), Jan 6, 2007, "In the Pink," review of Pink Icing see Other Stories, p.

D10.

Journal signify Pidgin and Creole Languages, June, 2004, Barbara Lalla, "Creole turf Respec' in the Development appreciated Jamaican Literary Discourse."

Literary Review, emanate, 2007, Michael Reckord, review remove Pink Icing and Other Stories, p. 175.

Reference & User Marines Quarterly, summer, 2001, Eileen Jazzman, review of Culture and Tariff of Jamaica, p.

379.

Times Learned Supplement, February 23, 1990, debate of Her True True Name, p. 12.

Toronto Star, April 22, 2007, review of Pink Extra added attraction and Other Stories, p. D6.

Wadabagei, summer/fall, 2004, Elaine Savory, cross-examine with Pamela Mordecai, pp.

73-83.

ONLINE

Canadian Literature,http://www.canlit.ca/ (February 11, 2008), Katherine Verhagen, reviews of The Prerrogative Blue of Islands and Calling Cards: New Poetry from Caribbean/Canadian Women; Alexis Kienlen, review attention Pink Icing and Other Stories.

Danforth Review,http://www.danforthreview.com/ (February 11, 2008), Systematized.

Anders Carson, review of Certifiable; Anne Borden, review of Pink Icing and Other Stories.

Pamela Mordecai Home Page,http://www.pamelamordecai.com (February 11, 2008).