Praised as “masterful” by the New York Times and “uncommonly talented” by Publishers Weekly and winner of the 1999 Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award, Austin Clarke has a distinguished reputation as one of the preeminent Caribbean writers of our time. In Pig Tails ’n Breadfruit, he has created a tantalizing “culinary memoir” of his childhood in Barbados. Clarke describes how he learned traditional Bajan cooking—food with origins in the days of slavery, hardship, and economic grief—by listening to this mother, aunts, and cousins talking in the kitchen as they prepared each meal.

Pig Tails ’n Breadfruit is not a recipe book; rather, each chapter is devoted to a detailed description of the ritual surrounding the preparation of a particular native dish—Oxtails with Mushrooms, Smoked Ham Hocks with Lima Beans, or Breadfruit Cou-Cou with Braising Beef. Cooking here, as in Clarke’s home, is based not on precise measurements, but on trial and error, taste and touch. As a result, the process becomes utterly sensual, and the author’s exquisite language artfully translates sense into words, creating a rich and intoxicating personal memoir.

BIO

Austin Clarke has enjoyed a varied career as a broadcaster, civil rights leader, professor, and diplomat. His many honors include the Pride of Barbados Distinguished Service Award, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Achievement Award, and the Order of Canada. He lives in Toronto and Italy.

REVIEWS

A tantalizing Caribbean memoir—part cookbook, part family history—by “one of the most talented novelists at work in the English Language today” -- Norman Mailer

“Clarke is masterful.” -- The New York Times

[P]  Ian Randle Publishers  /  July 02, 2014

0.54" H x 8.5" L x 5.5" W (0.67 lbs) 258 pages