Una Marson: Selected Poems (Caribbean Modern Classics)

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Rosenberg, Leah. "The Pitfalls of Feminist Nationalism and the Career of Una Marson". In Nationalism and the formation of Caribbean Literature. NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. While working for the BBC, being an international advocate for Jamaica, contributing to suffrage newspapers, Marson also continued to pursue her poetry. In 1945, she published Western Mail– 2 November 1945 Caribbean Voices hosted writers, musicians and political figures … Seroca Davis as Marson. Photograph: Brian Benson/BBC/Douglas Road Productions/Brian Benson

It was Marson’s decision to move to London in 1932 that galvanised her politics and changed the tenor of her poetry. While her first collection, Tropic Reveries, which was published two years earlier, focused on questions of identity and love, the racism and discrimination she felt in the metropole changed not only the themes she engaged with, but also how she wrote about them. Denise deCaires Narain, "Marson, Una Maud Victoria", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004. In 1935, Una Marson became the editor of The Keys and focused on championing the works of female authors. The objective of The Keys was to The connection between the Fund and other foreign organisations of its kind which aided in the cause. While living in England, Marson developed the BBC radio program, “Caribbean Voices,” which evolved into a significant literary show, one that would have a crucial impact on the development of new writings and writers from the Anglophone Caribbean. Caribbean cultural luminaire Kamau Braithwaite has characterized the forum as the “single most important literary catalyst for Caribbean creative and critical writing in English.” 4In 1926, Marson was appointed assistant editor of the Jamaican political journal Jamaica Critic. Her years there taught her journalism skills as well as influencing her political and social opinions and inspired her to create her own publication. In fact, in 1928, she became Jamaica's first female editor and publisher of her own magazine, The Cosmopolitan. The Cosmopolitan featured articles on feminist topics, local social issues and workers' rights and was aimed at a young, middle-class Jamaican audience. Marson's articles encouraged women to join the work force and to become politically active. The magazine also featured Jamaican poetry and literature from Marson's fellow members of the Jamaican Poetry League, started by J. E. Clare McFarlane. Marson started her journalist career at the Critic in Kingston and then later started her own magazine, Cosmopolitan. The magazine was filled with feminism, radical politics, fashion, housekeeping, and poetry. It was the first Jamaican magazine owned and edited by a woman. The magazine only lasted a few years, but Una had gained significant experience. After the closure of the magazine, Una continued to publish poetry including a collection of poems in Tropic Reveries in 1930. Arrival in London

Marson abruptly returned to Jamaica because, we now know, of a breakdown, but soon became involved in the growing nationalist movement there led by trade-union organizers, a precursor to the independence movements that would soon sweep the region. Marson had her own response to the burgeoning nationalistic fervor: literature. She urged the formation of a Jamaican publishing house to publish Jamaican literature, and in her own inimitable style, reportedly directed everyone she knew to start writing. She joined the Poetry League of Jamaica and founded the Kingston Readers and Writers Club and the Kingston Drama Club. She also founded the Jamaica Save the Children Fund, which still exists today. Jesucristo el Gran Chamán: las pinturas de Norval Morrisseau / Jesus Christ the Shaman: the paintings of Norval Morrisseau Marson's poetry was included in the 1992 anthology Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby. [16] Marson, Una. Assorted writings in Linnette Vassell (ed.), Voices of Women in Jamaica, 1898–1939, Mona & Kingston: Dept of History, UWI, 1993.After the War’s end, Miss Marson again returned to Jamaica in 1949. On this occasion, she joined the Gleaner Company as organising secretary and served as general editor of the Pioneer Press. Jenkins, Lee M., "Penelope's Web: Una Marson, Lorna Goodison, M. Nourbese Philip", in The Language of Caribbean Poetry (2004), 138. This Women’s History Month, as we celebrate and reflect on struggles for the emancipation of women, I find it only appropriate to resurrect the cultural and political contributions of Una Marson. According to Lloyd W. Brown, Marson was the “first female poet of significance to emerge in West Indies literature” and yet ironically, she is the forgotten mother of Caribbean poetry. In many ways, Una Marson’s work has influenced both men and women Caribbean creative writers who, like Marson, have used literature to advocate cultural and political transformation in their home and host countries. In 1930, Marson published her first collection of poems, entitled Tropic Reveries, that dealt with love and nature with elements of feminism. It won the Musgrave Medal from the Institute of Jamaica. Her poems about love are somewhat misunderstood by friends and critics, as there is no evidence of a romantic relationship in Marson's life, although love continued to be a common topic in her work. In 1931, due to financial difficulties, The Cosmopolitan ceased publication, which led her to begin publishing more poetry and plays. In 1931, she published another collection of poetry, entitled Heights and Depths, which also dealt with love and social issues. Also in 1931, she wrote her first play, At What a Price, about a Jamaican girl who moves from the country into the city of Kingston to work as a stenographer and falls in love with her white male boss. The play opened in Jamaica and later London to critical acclaim. In 1932, she decided to go to London to find a broader audience for her work and to experience life outside of Jamaica. [7] London years (1932–36) [ edit ] In 1936, Marson attended the 12 th Congress of the International Alliance for Women for Suffrage and Legal Citizenship in Istanbul as a delegate and spoke to a gathering about the pressing need to support the impoverished families of Jamaica.