Eric Roach (1915–1974)

I still cannot quite believe that I am the only person on LT to own The Flowering Rock: Collected Poems 1938-1974 by Eric Roach. It seems that this elegant and powerful poet - who bridged the gap between the quaint pastoral poetry of the early 20th Century and the more robust and original work of the post-Federation era typified by Brathwaite and Walcott - still languishes undisturbed by contemporary readers.

My complaint is mild - and largely rhetorical - as this is the only collection of his work, published posthumously, and brings together material which was only ever published in local newspapers and literary journals. The BBC's Caribbean Voices programme was the only international outlet to broadcast his work; ironically, straight back to the Caribbean. His work is often anthologised - 'Homestead' perhaps the best known and loved of his poems - but this collection shows a craft refined over decades that an anthology will never do justice to.

This won't be a review, or even a lament, just a hope that - should anyone see this collection lying unloved in a dusty bookshop corner - it should be read, and cherished.… (mehr)