News Americas, PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, Fri. April 19, 2013: He’s come a long way since his first book – “The Games Were Coming” – almost fifty long years to be exact.
But at 83-years young, Trinidad-born renowned author Michael Anthony is getting ready to do it all over again – for the 32nd time! In an exclusive interview with News Americas in Trinidad this week, Anthony disclosed that his new book will be released on April 24th.
A work of fiction entitled, “The Briefcase,” the book says Anthony, tells the story of a suitcase of money that gets lost in a flood and the police’s search for it.
As with many of Anthony’s works of fiction, the novel is based on a real event that occurred in Trinidad – the floods of Diego Martin of 2012 – which caused over TT$100 million in damages.
“The flooding moved me,” said Anthony, when asked what inspired him to write this new book. “Inspiration comes from everything.”
The book will add to past fiction works from Anthony that includes ‘The Year in San Fernando,’ ‘Green Days by the River,’ ‘Tales for Young and Old,’ ‘Sandra Street and Other Stories,’ ‘Cricket in the Road’ and ‘King of the Masquerade’ among others.
Interestingly, Anthony did not get on the path of creative writing until he moved to England in December 1954. As Anthony tells it, if he had not become a writer he probably would have become a fisherman since opportunities in the poor fishing village of Mayaro, Trinidad were extremely limited.
When he’s not writing, Anthony’s researching, revealing he already has another book up his sleeve – this time a historical follow-up to his first volume of “A History of Trinidad and Tobago in the 20th Century.”
“I want to get to volume four before I go,” he added with a laugh.
This author and historian, who holds the Hummingbird Medal (Gold) for his contributions to Literature, and an honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies, (UWI), is, however, saddened at the state of literature in the Caribbean today.
“I find its fading and I feel the children are missing something,” said Anthony, who grew up in poverty in Mayaro and went to school in San Fernando. “But I think it’s the state of the Caribbean’s educational system today.”
