UK-based Guyanese author launching novel on 19th century Guyana & China

…aims to transport readers to British Guiana through the eyes of a Chinese migrant

By Jarryl Bryan

Former Guyana Prize for Literature winner, British-based Guyanese author Professor David Dabydeen, is launching a novel that will offer unique perspectives on life in both 19th century Guyana and China.

The book, Sweet Li Jie, centers on Jia Yun, one of many Chinese immigrants who came to Guyana in the 19th century looking for a better life. According to Dabydeen, in an interview with this publication, the inspiration for the book came from a desire to explore a hitherto under-served period in Guyana’s history.
Dabydeen, who is a former Guyanese Ambassador Plenipotentiary to China, said that he came up with the idea for the characters during his time in that country. For instance, the character of Jia Yun, carries on a long-distance courtship with the title character, Li Jie, through a series of letters from Guyana to China.
“I did visit some villages in China, when I was there. And so, I set the novel in an obscure village in the South of China. And I created a character, a young girl whose father was murdered by Japanese invaders. And who’s completely traumatised by it. And a young man who tries to woo her. But she’s always distant and terrified of men. And so that’s at the heart of the story. They’re taken in by the landlord of the village and cared for,” Dabydeen explained.
According to the author, as the story unfolds the suitor for Li Jie’s hand, eventually migrates to Guyana… one of the many real Chinese migrants who arrived on Guyana’s shores in the 19th century. As a matter of fact, it is recorded that close to 14,000 Chinese arrived in British Guiana on 39 vessels between 1853 and 1879, as the Colonials attempted to fill labor shortages on the sugar plantations following emancipation.
“While he (Jia Yun) is in Guyana, he writes a series of love letters to her, explaining the situation in Guyana. It is seeing Guyana through Chinese eyes, as he talks about the African people, the Indian people, the Portuguese. So, he talks about the tensions, as well as the collaboration, between the various ethnic groups. And he’s seeing it naively, since he’s now in a new country.”
He also spoke about the themes the book covers, such as love and death. According to Dabydeen, he hopes to transport readers to 19th century China and Guyana, giving them a sense of both countries while dispelling any misconceptions they may have.
“At the heart of one’s concerns, as a novelist but any other writer will tell you this, the two great emotions are love and death. So, it’s a novel about love and death. And what happens between love and death,” Dabydeen said.
“I have many other characters in the book. There’s a kind of circus performer, there’s another figure, there’s a hunchback and so on. So, you create a panoply of characters and you make them interact.”
Dabydeen has authored a number of books; poetry collections and non-fiction works. In addition to the Guyana Prize for Literature, he has also won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize. When it comes to the availability of this latest book, he explained that this is a work in progress.
“The book has only recently been published. And unfortunately, in Guyana, we don’t really have methods of selling or sending books over. There are only one or two bookshops in Georgetown. I don’t know if there are any in New Amsterdam. But the publisher will send books over to whoever the press deals with. And hopefully the book will be available when its formally out.”