This comprehensive, annotated bibliography of works by and about Caribbean women novelists from 1950 to the present covers novelists from all Caribbean islands and Surinam writing in English, Spanish, French, Dutch, and their dialects. Entries on some 150 individual writers are organized alphabetically and comprise a biographical sketch, data on novels with plot synopses, a listing of other known publications in all genres, as well as annotated criticism and reviews. Included are translations, interviews, recorded materials, and broadcast literature. Sources range from publications of major presses and journals in various countries and languages to dissertations and items from local newspapers and small presses. Preceding the author entries is a Bibliography of General Works covering criticism; bibliographies, both regional and for individual countries; and bio-bibliographical reference books. Alternative means of access are provided by a List of Authors by Country and indexes of novels, critics, and themes and key words. A guide to resources on literature of the Netherlands Antilles is included as an appendix.
Caribbean literature—and Caribbean women writers in particular—is one of the fastest growing fields of literary study. Additionally, the Caribbean presents an ideal laboratory for other areas of intense research: comparative literatures and post-colonial studies. This bibliography serves these interests, placing special emphasis on common themes and techniques that transcend national boundaries and linguistic differences.