Steinberg Henry, who worked at the Dominica Broadcasting Corporation for a number of years has published his book, ‘Calypso Drift And Water: Reflective Eco logic Moving Lyrical Imaginative Awareness’.
Henry says that the book has been a “labor of overcoming and love”.
“It seemed the most difficult book to complete and there was once, the document seemed alien to me. At that, I thought someone had hacked into my computer and changed the entire 190 pages. What I had written had been transformed. Words such as “all” became “al” and “was became “saw.” The entire text was transformed.
“Henry who is visually impaired and uses a screen reader said that although the book was complete by 2017, he went through the painstaking task of editing every single page until he was thoroughly satisfied.
He writes about the book with such pride and says, “I love this book. It is the sequel to Calypso Drift…I am of the impression that at points of writing the text really leaps into beautiful eco logic…It is a pleasure to write and publish Calypso Drift And Water for the Dominican Calypsonian, musicians, songpoets, players of instruments and producers”.
He explains the meaning of the subtitle, Reflective Eco logic Moving Lyrical Imaginative Awareness’. He says, “When one reflects on the logic of the ecosystem it can contribute to an expansion of imagination used in constructing song lyrics. And it is the blending (and the word blend is appropriate here) of the lyric and the logic of the eco that makes for radical, intelligent, imaginative lyrics. I encourage adoption of such a style without apologies”.
Henry sees the day when ‘Dominica’s Calypso breaks through in film, documentaries, television and in school syllabi’ and hopes that ‘Calypso Drift And Water’ will serve as a quality of context.
“When the music can still be found on YouTube and other online platforms to be discovered, these texts will be there to provide historic and sociocultural significance.”
Henry’s two works write stories about Calypso in Dominica from 2005 to 2012 and 2013 to 2016 respectively.Henry said that possibly the 2017 to 2020 publication may well be titled ‘Calypso Drift And Fire, for it will in its pages preserve something for us as Dominicans.
Every Dominican should own copies of Henry’s books, ‘Calypso Drift’ and ‘Calypso Drift and Water’.
Congratulations to Steinberg Henry.
Below is the link to the book
