
As an Amazon Associate and affiliate partner, Menrva Books earns from qualifying purchases. Learn more
Marshall Sarjeant is born at the beginning of the 20th century in Paradise, Jamaica. As a young man, he is entrusted with a mythical quest to overcome a curse that has been put on his family. He must do this by returning to Africa from where family members were brought as slaves. Marshall's epic journey takes him first to wartime Liverpool and then, London where he marries and mixes with a clubland crowd of gamblers, musicians and politicians. In Africa, he finds a continent in the turbulent throes of attempting to escape a colonial past. Returning to Paradise, Marshall's life turns full circle in his epic mission to defeat the duppy, or ghost that started him on his voyage. In Duppy Conqueror, Ferdinand Dennis has created a powerful narrative of the Afro-Caribbean experience in which the personal and the political seamlessly collide. Its themes are as relevant today as when it was first published in 1998.
Marshall Sarjeant, born in early 20th-century Jamaica, embarks on a mythic quest to break a generational curse by returning to his ancestral home in Africa. Driven by this supernatural obligation, he navigates a life that spans wartime Liverpool, the vibrant club scenes of London, and a continent struggling to shed its colonial history. Marshall faces the physical hardships of migration and the psychological weight of his family's history, while his personal ambitions are constantly tested by the political instability of the world around him. The narrative follows his life in a sweeping, multi-continental arc that connects his humble beginnings in Paradise to his eventual confrontation with the spectral force that haunts his lineage.
This work is characterized by its ambitious scope, blending the intimate details of a single life with the broader historical currents of the 20th-century Caribbean and African experience. The narrative structure suggests a focus on the intersection of myth and reality, using the concept of the 'duppy' to anchor the protagonist's internal and external conflicts. Readers likely encounter a prose style that balances the grit of wartime migration with the lyrical quality of Jamaican folklore. The text serves as a meditation on the search for belonging, positioning the protagonist's personal mission as a reflection of the wider struggle for post-colonial identity.
Page Count:
346
Publication Date:
1998-06-15
Publisher:
Flamingo
ISBN-10:
0002255960
ISBN-13:
9780002255967
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!