SOURCE: Melville, Pauline. “Wilson Harris: ‘In the Forests of the Night.’” Review of Contemporary Fiction 17, no. 2 (summer 1997): 50–52.

In the following essay, Melville focuses on the emotional power of Harris's works, contrasting its impact with other works of contemporary fiction.

For those of us who are following Wilson Harris in the tradition of Guyanese literature, there is no doubt that he has transformed the literary landscape of the region, and we would be unwise (as would the rest of the world) to ignore his blazing signposts as we try to chart our way forward.

As a writer of fiction and as a fellow Guyanese, there are certain lessons that it has been my privilege to learn from this extraordinary writer. Like Wilson, I have spent many years out of Guyana. But from him I have learned that nationalism is not necessarily important for the creative artist. He gave me...