Book description
Alec Waugh first saw the West Indies on a trip round the world in 1926
when his ship called in at Guadeloupe. Fifteen months later he returned
for a long stay at Martinique; it was the beginning of a lifelong
interest in these fascinating islands that were to provide him with the
material for many books and articles. In
The Sugar Islands
, a book to be dipped into at leisure, Mr. Waugh has selected pieces
from his writings, with the intention of compiling both a travelogue
(there is a wealth of interesting information for the would-be traveller
about the ways of life and customs of each island) and a chronological
commentary on the development of the islands during the last thirty years.
The book is divided into four parts. In the first, the author gives an
idea of the background of the West Indies by drawing a detailed picture
of the colourful life of Martinique. He tells the story of a
17th-century Frenchman who joined the famous pirates of Tortugja and the
history of the long bloodbath that preceeded the declaration of
independence of Haiti, the Black Republic. The second part of the book
comprises four character sketches, including three stories of black
magic, and two sections deal with the individual charm and interest of
each of the islands: Montserrat, Barbados, Anguilla, Trinidad, St.
Vincent, Tortola, the U. S. Virgin Islands, Saba, Antigua, Dominica and
Puerto Rico. Alec Waugh, 1898-1981, was a British novelist born in
London and educated at Sherborne Public School, Dorset. Waugh s first
novel, The Loom of Youth
(1917), is a semi-autobiographical account of public school life that
caused some controversy at the time and led to his expulsion. Waugh was
the only boy ever to be expelled from The Old Shirburnian Society.
Despite setting this record, Waugh went on to become the successful
author of over 50 works, and lived in many exotic places throughout his
life which later became the settings for some of his texts. He was also
a noted wine connoisseur and campaigned to make the cocktail party a
regular feature of 1920s social life.
