Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
Marlon James signs copies of his book 'John Crow's Devil', at the launch held at Red Bones Blues Café, Braemar Avenue recently. - WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
JAMAICA RESTS in the borderland of two languages that echo at least two of the cultures which have combined to create who we are. Marlon James effectively uses this duality in his debut novel John Crow's Devil, published by Akashic Books. So, the book, which has not met with resistance in foreign waters, flies in the face of arguments that making Jamaican an official language is a backward move for the nation.
SPIRITUAL BATTLE
John Crow's Devil was launched at Red Bones Blues Café recently, in the wake of rave reviews that have come from the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and other established papers. The novel details a spiritual battle of near apocalyptic proportions for the soul of a mythical rural village.
The launch was hosted by Professor Mervyn Morris, whom James later revealed has been his supervisor for his Caribbean Studies project at the University of the West Indies, where the latter had pursued a Bachelor in Literatures in English.
BEST DEBUT NOVEL IN YEARS
In an interview with The Gleaner following the launch, Akashic's Johnny Temple continued to express much faith in the text. Earlier, he had described John Crow's Devil as the best debut novel he had read in years. He noted that Akashic is not market-driven and so he only publishes books that he likes. He further explained that not having encountered any problems in understanding the text which meanders between Standard Jamaican English and Jamaican, that he had faith others on the international market would understand it also.
"I would have expected more people to complain about the language," he admitted however, noting that none of the critics had mentioned it.
John Crow's Devil is being released in hard back, which Temple explained had not been done by Akashic in two years as they had a history of stronger success with paper backs. "I felt that with Marlon's book I had found a gem," he said, explaining the decision. Temple explained that he felt a hard back would carry the book further. "To me this book reminded me of William Faulkner. It felt like a serious piece of literature," he said.
Professor Morris added his endorsement of the text, noting that he agreed with writer Colin Channer's assessment that John Crow's Devil was "stylistically mature". In giving his introduction to the book, Professor Morris further described John Crow's Devil as "distinctly literary" yet "readable" and "emotionally most persuading in its rendering of guilt".
Expressing joy at being able to read the parts of the text in Jamaican, James delivered several pieces of John Crow's Devil which touched on obeah, rejection, spiritual confrontations, mob mentality and temptation, painting an adequate picture of the multi-layered nature of the text and the involving nature of the characters.
INTEREST IN HORROR, WESTERNS
In the brief question and answer segment which followed, he pointed out that the book reflected his interests in horror and westerns and the title uses the john crow's position as a harbinger of death.
"I think as a Jamaican you can't help but write about religion, can you?" he said, explaining his choice of themes. He further indicated that his book is a story about a secret society of slave women.
James was a part of the Calabash workshop in 2004 through which the connections had been made to get the book published, despite his having earlier tried to purge himself of what he had perceived to be its failure.
When he came to the stage, James pointed out that after much rejection from publishers and agents, he had already engaged in the "ceremonial burning" of the book. As such, his advice to other aspiring novelists was to keep the faith.
"You really do have to believe in your work. You will come to the point where you are the only one who believes in it," he said. "I failed that test." But having moved beyond the self doubt, his work is now able to take flight, leaving great acclaim in its wake.
