From his earliest verse written at the age of eighteen, Walcott has drawn material from his own experience. The autobiographical aspect of Omeros becomes unavoidable, given the frequency with which he explicitly interjects his own persona. Furthermore, the primary subject of this poem is his native St. Lucian heritage: the rich Creole culture of his transplanted countrymen, the unfulfilled legacy of his father who died prematurely, and the all-embracing sea.

Derek and his twin brother Roderick were born to Warwick (a civil servant) and Alix Walcott (headmistress of a Methodist school) in the capital city of Castries on 23 January 1930. When the twins were about a year old, their artistically gifted father died suddenly, willing them his desire to capture the beauty of the island in the few poems and watercol-ors he left. Derek showed an early interest in both media. He took painting lessons from his...