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A review by bookofcinz
The Undiscovered Country - Essays by Andre Bagoo
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 Plato’s Cave and Free Colony did a deep dive into the coup, T&T laws and how outdated they are.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.