Black Gods, Green Islands

This is a collection of folk tales from the exotic island of Trinidad, woven out of the vivid legends that live in the minds of the island’s handsome inhabitants. Witchcraft and curses that spell death hang in the air, with happiness always just a step away from disaster.

The distinctions between man, nature, and the animal world blur and recede when a hunter shakes off the evil of the city and glides lithely into the forest, when a boa constrictor comes to the aid of a young married couple, or when a servant girl hears the beckoning call of the sea god.

There is about these tales a dream quality—of women in white lace dresses, men in bright shirts and pantaloons, their sudden joys, and their no less sudden griefs. Moving in a rhythm of their own, streaked by the wild logic of pagan lore, these stories of a place in the Caribbean where fact and fancy entwine are enchanting.

In an article in Esquire Magazine entitled “The Renaissance Man/1957” Helen Lawrenson wrote of Geoffrey Holder:

Every once in a while there comes along a man so multi-talented in the arts that no one specific field can satisfy his creative energy...

Newest and most promising of this type of exuberant virtuoso is an extraordinary young man named Geoffrey Holder, who...since he came to this country from his native Trinidad, has achieved recognition as a painter, actor, creative dancer, singer, choreographer, composer, librettist, costume designer, scenic designer, writer and photographer. Michael Myerberg, the theatrical entrepreneur...calls him “the greatest talent that; has appeared in recent years, with a fantastic intelligence...one of the truly great ones!”

Assisted by Tom Harshman, a well-traveled freelance writer, Mr. Holder claims a permanent place in the world of writing with BLACK GODS, GREEN ISLANDS.