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The Dragon Can't Dance, by Earl Lovelace
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A story of shanty-town life in Trinidad. Calvary Hill is the home of Aldrick Prospect, who lives for the carnival and his once-a-year chance to play dragon. Here too live Miss Cleothilda, the ageing carnival queen, Philo the Calypsonian, and Fisheye, who flaunts his strength in the steel bands.
- Sales Rank: #2063219 in Books
- Published on: 1998-01-19
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 7.87" h x .67" w x 5.08" l, .50 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 240 pages
From Publishers Weekly
The lilting, metallic harmonies of steel drums and the musical rhythm of Trinidadian Creole patois are elegantly rendered by consummate Caribbean man-of-letters Lovelace (Salt) in this novel, published in England in 1979. As always, Lovelace is concerned with how West Indian men and women struggle to find their individual identities in the face of dehumanizing living conditions, and how they resist cultural assimilation. For two days a year, the festival-parade of Carnival allows struggling Trinidadians to forget their poverty and embrace the frenzy and glory that masquerade provides. For the hilltop shack communities that dot the outskirts of Port-of-Spain, Carnival takes on mythic proportions. The respect that hustler Aldrick gains for his portrayal of an intricately scaled dragon carries him through the year. But the old order is fading: aging Carnival queen Cleothilde is forced to give way to beautiful, free-spirited Sylvia; drummer Fisheye fights to preserve his pride; and corporate sponsors rush to profit from Carnival and do away with its old customs of warriorhood between rival bands in favor of a more tourist-friendly version of the festivities. Conflicts arise when whose who resist control by the corporations alienate neighbors by challenging the inevitable commercialization of Carnival. Kaleidoscopically colorful characters and a faithful ear help make this quest for personhood one of Lovelace's best works.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Distinguished Trinidadian novelist Lovelace writes fiction as syncopated, sinuous, and irresistible as the calypso music that punctuates the lives of his poor but proud characters. Here, as he did in the award-winning Salt , Lovelace peers beneath the rigid structure of island society into the desiring hearts of men and women struggling for recognition, respect, and love. Carnival season has just begun in Calvary Hill, a Port of Spain shantytown, and Miss Cleothilda, the carnival queen, and Aldrick, the dragon king, try to concentrate on creating their elaborate costumes, but both are distracted by a young beauty named Sylvia. The queen senses a rival, and Aldrick, famous for his avoidance of work and marriage, feels love coming on. Conflict also drives Fisheye, a warrior without a cause whose restlessness infects his fellow drummers to the point that their steel bands become veritable street gangs, and Pariag, the only Indian on the Hill and the most ambitious and innocent of the lot. As Lovelace masterfully choreographs the dance of each of his finely drawn characters, he reveals the conundrums not only of Caribbean life but of the human condition itself. Donna Seaman
From Kirkus Reviews
Caribbean writer Lovelace, whose Salt won the 1997 Commonwealth Writer's Prize, returns with a story (first published in England in 1979) that offers a defining and luminously sensitive portrait of postcolonial island life. The island in question is recently independent Trinidad, but it could be any Caribbean island settled by European planters, African slaves, and indentured East Indians. Carnival time is at hand, and the inhabitants of the Hill, former slaves, who ``survive here, holding their poverty as a possession,'' are getting ready for this Mardi Graslike celebration: Steel bands are practicing, calypso singers and writers--like the diffident Philo--are creating new songs, and Aldrick Prospect, as usual, is working on his dragon costume. Aldrick, who, like most of the men, is unemployed, comes alive at Carnival, where it's his mission to do the Dragon dance, a dance that expresses all the people's frustrations and memories of their warrior past, and affirms their power--power that, if provoked, could burn down the city. But this year Aldrick, who's spurned the advances of young Sylvia, finds himself brooding. Change is in the air--those steel bands are acquiring commercial sponsors, the old fighting spirit of the people is changing to passive acceptance, and Aldrick's friends are drifting away and making new lives. After Carnival, Aldrick, feeling like ``the last symbol of rebellion,'' continues to brood, especially when he sees Sylvia take up with Guy, a notorious womanizer. He befriends Fisheye, an angry radical, and joins a futile rebellion against the government. Aldrick is jailed but, unlike the others, doesn't accept defeat, and once released--still depressed--he returns to the Hill. Finally, a quiet epiphany and a promise of Sylvia's affection present him with hope and reason enough to give up the impotent protest of the Dragon's dance. A poignant, beautifully crafted tale about a man and his country on the cusp of change. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
A prescient novel of protest and community
By Suyo
Earl Lovelace's The Dragon Can't Dance, set in Trinidad, positions the complex ritual of Carnival in a socio-political context. Unpacking Carnival is synonymous with examining the Caribbean self, as Aldrick journeys from an anonymous masquerade dragon to an authentic self.
Lovelace explores characters from various backgrounds, exploring the transformation each undergoes as consumerism and corporate influence creep into Carnival. From the 'bad John,' Fisheye, to the rising calypso star Philo, each character is transformed and contributes to the transformation of Aldrick.
At the novel's center is the romance between Aldrick and Sylvia. Across the years and Carnivals, the two do a dance of self-discovery which is not overblown or over dramatic. Their love story is, instead, understated and believable, and represents a solid foundation to a novel with perfect prose and pacing.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
A Spellbinding and Magnificent Piece of Art
By Roger Deblanck
Earl Lovelace's novel leaves me spellbound and overwhelmed with how possibly to express the brilliance and beauty of the book. This is a magnificent and extraordinary piece of art with the hypnotic lyricism of its prose, the intricacy of its story, and the depth to which Lovelace investigates the struggles of an entire community. Only the great Naguib Mahfouz comes to mind as having a similar ability as Lovelace in probing the psychological and emotional depths of his characters.
The story takes places in the poverty-stricken shantytown of Cavalry Hill in Trinidad. The plot focuses around the festival of Carnival each year. In this impoverished setting and on the transcendent occasion of the yearly Carnival celebration, Lovelace guides us into the lives of a range of characters that burst off the page in all their pain and joy, their failures and triumphs, their shame and redemption. We meet Cleothilda, the hostile shop owner; Sylvia, the gorgeous maiden; Fisheye, the wayward combatant; Philo, the calypsonian dreamer; Pariag, the minority outcast; and Aldrick, the dragon masquerader. Each of them carries a lifelong weight of both wounds and dreams.
In particular, Aldrick is the focal figure. He is the one who most symbolically undergoes a spiritual transformation each year when he dons his dragon costume. When he becomes the dragon, he asserts both his humanity and his dangerousness while also reminding himself of his past and his need to survive. Everyone attempts to escape their harsh reality by entering the realm of their masquerade during Carnival. The festival temporarily transports them into their dreams and out of the dismal situation of their lives. They are each striving to reach a feeling of hope. After the yearly gala ends, however, problems arise when they must return to their daily hardships. Lovelace charts these phases and transitions with great compassion and empathy. He scrutinizes the dynamics of power, race, and class distinctions. He traces the emotions, motives, and instincts that drive his characters to survive, and he also examines what pushes them beyond their threshold of tolerance and patience to a condition where they snap.
The Dragon Can't Dance is the type of unforgettable narrative that stays with you and percolates your thoughts. It affirms the power of literature to explore the essence of truth and to address the meaning of humanity. Lovelace is a master at showing us how within a destitute community, the yearning to live, grow, and have hope is no different for people anywhere in the world, regardless of their station in life.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
One Star
By sarah
The book smelled like mildew
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