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bookofcinz's review against another edition
3.0
The Undiscovered Country is a love letter to Trinidad and Tobago and every poetry lover out there…
I took my time to read this book and write this review because I wanted to give justice to the brilliance that is this collection of essays. With The Undiscovered Country we got a peek inside the brilliant mind of Andre Bagoo, and if I am being honest, I did not want to leave. In this collection of essays Bagoo questions whether Trinidad and Tobago actually gained independence, how are we still to this day struggling as a country and what independence can actually look like.
In his introduction Bagoo quips that these essays are meant to castigate and praise. They aim to provoke, add fuel to the fire of augmentation.. and he achieved just that. There were some essays that really got under my skin and stayed there, others that hand me going “WOW, I did not know this!” and the rest that left me in wonder and awe of how Bagoo’s brain works.
I loved the essays that talked about Caribbean authors we are familiar with including V.S. Naipaul and Derek Walcott- did yall know they were enemies? I could not get enough of hearing about Naipaul and his layered relationship with his home country. It is clear that he did his research and left it up to us to decide our views on Naipaul.
Other essays that really captured my attention includes, Double a local staple in Trinidad and Tobago- while I don’t eat it, it was impactful getting a look into how this creation came to be. Plato’s Cave and Free Colony did a deep dive into the coup, T&T laws and how outdated they are. I think if you are interested in law and how laws don’t change, even after independence, these two essays will offer a lot. Soca which is the heartbeat of T&T and one of my favorite musical genres is explored through the 2019 giant hits “Savannah Grass” and “Famalaylay”. You Can See Venezuela From Trinidad is another essay that slaps timely and differently, Bagoo shows how the history and cultural of these two countries dates back to over 200 years. I absolutely enjoyed this essay.
I really enjoyed this collection and I think I would enjoy it a lot more if I was a lover of poets and poetry. At times some of the essays went over my head as I could not relate to the writer’s appreciate of these poets. I also think if you are a Trini this book will hold a deeper space in your heart.
A great collection of well researched and sharply written essays that leave you questioning a lot of how the world is around you.
I took my time to read this book and write this review because I wanted to give justice to the brilliance that is this collection of essays. With The Undiscovered Country we got a peek inside the brilliant mind of Andre Bagoo, and if I am being honest, I did not want to leave. In this collection of essays Bagoo questions whether Trinidad and Tobago actually gained independence, how are we still to this day struggling as a country and what independence can actually look like.
In his introduction Bagoo quips that these essays are meant to castigate and praise. They aim to provoke, add fuel to the fire of augmentation.. and he achieved just that. There were some essays that really got under my skin and stayed there, others that hand me going “WOW, I did not know this!” and the rest that left me in wonder and awe of how Bagoo’s brain works.
I loved the essays that talked about Caribbean authors we are familiar with including V.S. Naipaul and Derek Walcott- did yall know they were enemies? I could not get enough of hearing about Naipaul and his layered relationship with his home country. It is clear that he did his research and left it up to us to decide our views on Naipaul.
Other essays that really captured my attention includes, Double a local staple in Trinidad and Tobago- while I don’t eat it, it was impactful getting a look into how this creation came to be. Plato’s Cave and Free Colony did a deep dive into the coup, T&T laws and how outdated they are. I think if you are interested in law and how laws don’t change, even after independence, these two essays will offer a lot. Soca which is the heartbeat of T&T and one of my favorite musical genres is explored through the 2019 giant hits “Savannah Grass” and “Famalaylay”. You Can See Venezuela From Trinidad is another essay that slaps timely and differently, Bagoo shows how the history and cultural of these two countries dates back to over 200 years. I absolutely enjoyed this essay.
I really enjoyed this collection and I think I would enjoy it a lot more if I was a lover of poets and poetry. At times some of the essays went over my head as I could not relate to the writer’s appreciate of these poets. I also think if you are a Trini this book will hold a deeper space in your heart.
A great collection of well researched and sharply written essays that leave you questioning a lot of how the world is around you.
megansoetaert's review
medium-paced
3.5
this is an interesting collection of essays—some i really liked, some i felt didn’t mix well with the overall book and/or just weren’t for me.
i appreciated getting to learn more about T&T’s history & culture & art. Bagoo’s research and personal experiences both shine.
my favorite essays were: in plato’s cave, his father’s disciple, you can see venezuela from trinidad
the free colony is so different than everything else, not sure how i feel. i fully believe that independence isn’t all it’s cracked up to be & and left many countries in a state of “post”colonial reliance. however, i really don’t agree with his idea of a solution… at all. would love to get my other anticolonial friends in here to discuss 😭
i appreciated getting to learn more about T&T’s history & culture & art. Bagoo’s research and personal experiences both shine.
my favorite essays were: in plato’s cave, his father’s disciple, you can see venezuela from trinidad
the free colony is so different than everything else, not sure how i feel. i fully believe that independence isn’t all it’s cracked up to be & and left many countries in a state of “post”colonial reliance. however, i really don’t agree with his idea of a solution… at all. would love to get my other anticolonial friends in here to discuss 😭
dianat's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book of #essays
He’s an art critic, a poet, a political historian, a keen observer of culture.
He writes about the Caribbean and other places and things; he writes diverse pieces, no two are alike.
He wrote an essay on V.S. Naipaul that left me gutted.
He has an incredible intellect.
He writes beautifully.
This work is the product of deep thought, research, and meticulous piecing together of disparate events, times, places, and people.
This is some of the best Caribbean writing.
Take out the word Caribbean even—this is just great writing.
But how sweet it is that so much of it is about right here, in a familiar voice.
He’s an art critic, a poet, a political historian, a keen observer of culture.
He writes about the Caribbean and other places and things; he writes diverse pieces, no two are alike.
He wrote an essay on V.S. Naipaul that left me gutted.
He has an incredible intellect.
He writes beautifully.
This work is the product of deep thought, research, and meticulous piecing together of disparate events, times, places, and people.
This is some of the best Caribbean writing.
Take out the word Caribbean even—this is just great writing.
But how sweet it is that so much of it is about right here, in a familiar voice.
kikireads's review
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse
nkei's review
4.0
This collection of essays by Bagoo examines his past experiences with reference and critical analysis of Trinidad Tobago’s history, culture, music, etc...one common theme across these essays is this struggle of acceptance as a gay man and the benefits of not conforming to ethics as developed and sometimes forced by society. This book isn’t one to whisk quickly through, but rather at the end of each story you may cause you to stop to do additional research, highlight a quote or even verbalize….”oh, I didn’t know this….interesting.”
I have some favourites and they include:
1. Naipaul’s Nightmare: the author skillfully assesses Naipaul’s writing through analysis of his works and his references to namely homophobia, condescension and his misogynistic ways. Bagoo was very skillful in his analysis despite being a gay man to whom a jab is being directed to...he offered the reader to think critically whether we know the real Naipaul? Naipaul isn’t a favourite amongst Trinbagonians but it was a great read nevertheless….
2. Doubles: the author examines the history of each ingredient of doubles and the “argument” which is the main ingredient...I love the knowledge sharing of each ingredient heritage. If you are from T&T or ever visited you would appreciate this story as this is a street food enjoyed my most.
3. In Plato’s Cave: The short story references Bagoo recollection of the 1990 coup in Trinidad & Tobago. It refers to ignorance of humanity trapped in the conventional ethics formed by society. Bagoo makes reference to his life as a gay man
4. Romantics in Trinidad: in this essay, Bagoo examines the similarities to his life as a gay man and it’s analogy to the Romanticism period.
5. Snakes & Ladders: In this essay I learnt of the origin of the game Snake & Ladders. The author also made an analogy of the game to teaching of binary.
6. You Can See Venezuela From Trinidad: This essay looks at the irony that Trinis are complaining of the migration of Venezuelans from their homeland to Trinidad when we also did it to other places....Bagoo looks are our ties to Venezuela via their our similar food, love and support of the Ms. Universe competition,music...etc. I also learnt about Angostura bitters: it’s origin and its historical use.
7. Free Colony: Are we really free from British rule?
8. The Agony and Ecstasy of Eric Williams: this essay sort to assess the mystery behind the T&T’s 1st PM.
Additionally I wanted to really love this essay:
• Soca: I wanted to love Bagoo’s viewpoint in this short but the ending had some dissonance. I particularly loved his description of Kees’s “Savannah Grass” as “an unabashed poem to the land, the Queen’s Park Savannah”. What I didn’t like was his notion that race was a factor in “Famalay” sung by Machel, Bunji and Skinny Fabulous winning the Road March title over the former...simply put...Road March needs a fast we song and this what I think was the reason Famalay edged out Savannah Grass in this race together with it being collaboratively sung by two initially rival soca singers (Machel & Bunji) who for years were bitter competitors in the soca arena and as such it was a joy by the people to see them come together for the culture...otherwise, I love me some Kees
Though some of the essays may have not gel well with others, this well-researched book of essays is definitely worth a read at a. slow pace which would allow you to assimilate each story.
I have some favourites and they include:
1. Naipaul’s Nightmare: the author skillfully assesses Naipaul’s writing through analysis of his works and his references to namely homophobia, condescension and his misogynistic ways. Bagoo was very skillful in his analysis despite being a gay man to whom a jab is being directed to...he offered the reader to think critically whether we know the real Naipaul? Naipaul isn’t a favourite amongst Trinbagonians but it was a great read nevertheless….
2. Doubles: the author examines the history of each ingredient of doubles and the “argument” which is the main ingredient...I love the knowledge sharing of each ingredient heritage. If you are from T&T or ever visited you would appreciate this story as this is a street food enjoyed my most.
3. In Plato’s Cave: The short story references Bagoo recollection of the 1990 coup in Trinidad & Tobago. It refers to ignorance of humanity trapped in the conventional ethics formed by society. Bagoo makes reference to his life as a gay man
4. Romantics in Trinidad: in this essay, Bagoo examines the similarities to his life as a gay man and it’s analogy to the Romanticism period.
5. Snakes & Ladders: In this essay I learnt of the origin of the game Snake & Ladders. The author also made an analogy of the game to teaching of binary.
6. You Can See Venezuela From Trinidad: This essay looks at the irony that Trinis are complaining of the migration of Venezuelans from their homeland to Trinidad when we also did it to other places....Bagoo looks are our ties to Venezuela via their our similar food, love and support of the Ms. Universe competition,music...etc. I also learnt about Angostura bitters: it’s origin and its historical use.
7. Free Colony: Are we really free from British rule?
8. The Agony and Ecstasy of Eric Williams: this essay sort to assess the mystery behind the T&T’s 1st PM.
Additionally I wanted to really love this essay:
• Soca: I wanted to love Bagoo’s viewpoint in this short but the ending had some dissonance. I particularly loved his description of Kees’s “Savannah Grass” as “an unabashed poem to the land, the Queen’s Park Savannah”. What I didn’t like was his notion that race was a factor in “Famalay” sung by Machel, Bunji and Skinny Fabulous winning the Road March title over the former...simply put...Road March needs a fast we song and this what I think was the reason Famalay edged out Savannah Grass in this race together with it being collaboratively sung by two initially rival soca singers (Machel & Bunji) who for years were bitter competitors in the soca arena and as such it was a joy by the people to see them come together for the culture...otherwise, I love me some Kees
Though some of the essays may have not gel well with others, this well-researched book of essays is definitely worth a read at a. slow pace which would allow you to assimilate each story.
bookofcinz's review
3.0
The Undiscovered Country is a love letter to Trinidad and Tobago and every poetry lover out there…
I took my time to read this book and write this review because I wanted to give justice to the brilliance that is this collection of essays. With The Undiscovered Country we got a peek inside the brilliant mind of Andre Bagoo, and if I am being honest, I did not want to leave. In this collection of essays Bagoo questions whether Trinidad and Tobago actually gained independence, how are we still to this day struggling as a country and what independence can actually look like.
In his introduction Bagoo quips that these essays are meant to castigate and praise. They aim to provoke, add fuel to the fire of augmentation.. and he achieved just that. There were some essays that really got under my skin and stayed there, others that hand me going “WOW, I did not know this!” and the rest that left me in wonder and awe of how Bagoo’s brain works.
I loved the essays that talked about Caribbean authors we are familiar with including V.S. Naipaul and Derek Walcott- did yall know they were enemies? I could not get enough of hearing about Naipaul and his layered relationship with his home country. It is clear that he did his research and left it up to us to decide our views on Naipaul.
Other essays that really captured my attention includes, Double a local staple in Trinidad and Tobago- while I don’t eat it, it was impactful getting a look into how this creation came to be. Plato’s Cave and Free Colony did a deep dive into the coup, T&T laws and how outdated they are. I think if you are interested in law and how laws don’t change, even after independence, these two essays will offer a lot. Soca which is the heartbeat of T&T and one of my favorite musical genres is explored through the 2019 giant hits “Savannah Grass” and “Famalaylay”. You Can See Venezuela From Trinidad is another essay that slaps timely and differently, Bagoo shows how the history and cultural of these two countries dates back to over 200 years. I absolutely enjoyed this essay.
I really enjoyed this collection and I think I would enjoy it a lot more if I was a lover of poets and poetry. At times some of the essays went over my head as I could not relate to the writer’s appreciate of these poets. I also think if you are a Trini this book will hold a deeper space in your heart.
A great collection of well researched and sharply written essays that leave you questioning a lot of how the world is around you.
I took my time to read this book and write this review because I wanted to give justice to the brilliance that is this collection of essays. With The Undiscovered Country we got a peek inside the brilliant mind of Andre Bagoo, and if I am being honest, I did not want to leave. In this collection of essays Bagoo questions whether Trinidad and Tobago actually gained independence, how are we still to this day struggling as a country and what independence can actually look like.
In his introduction Bagoo quips that these essays are meant to castigate and praise. They aim to provoke, add fuel to the fire of augmentation.. and he achieved just that. There were some essays that really got under my skin and stayed there, others that hand me going “WOW, I did not know this!” and the rest that left me in wonder and awe of how Bagoo’s brain works.
I loved the essays that talked about Caribbean authors we are familiar with including V.S. Naipaul and Derek Walcott- did yall know they were enemies? I could not get enough of hearing about Naipaul and his layered relationship with his home country. It is clear that he did his research and left it up to us to decide our views on Naipaul.
Other essays that really captured my attention includes, Double a local staple in Trinidad and Tobago- while I don’t eat it, it was impactful getting a look into how this creation came to be. Plato’s Cave and Free Colony did a deep dive into the coup, T&T laws and how outdated they are. I think if you are interested in law and how laws don’t change, even after independence, these two essays will offer a lot. Soca which is the heartbeat of T&T and one of my favorite musical genres is explored through the 2019 giant hits “Savannah Grass” and “Famalaylay”. You Can See Venezuela From Trinidad is another essay that slaps timely and differently, Bagoo shows how the history and cultural of these two countries dates back to over 200 years. I absolutely enjoyed this essay.
I really enjoyed this collection and I think I would enjoy it a lot more if I was a lover of poets and poetry. At times some of the essays went over my head as I could not relate to the writer’s appreciate of these poets. I also think if you are a Trini this book will hold a deeper space in your heart.
A great collection of well researched and sharply written essays that leave you questioning a lot of how the world is around you.
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