SOURCE: "Aimé Césaire: The Reclaiming of the Land," in Exile and Tradition: Studies in African and Caribbean Literature, edited by Rowland Smith, Longman & Dalhousie University Press, 1976, pp. 31-43.

In the following essay, Snyder offers an overview of the major themes of Césaire 's verse.

Take a cruise to the French-speaking Caribbean, a cruise skilfully organised by your local travel agency so that what you will see there will match the expectations of the travel folders. You will stay at a Hilton-type hotel and be entertained at night by local musicians; you will go on a guided tour in the interior and drive so fast that the memories you retain of the people will be images of colourful bandannas wrapped around the heads of women, shapes moving gracefully in the sunlight, a waving of hands and the smiles of children. And you will return home rhapsodising to...