Samuel Selvon's Evolution From A Brighter Sun to Turn Again Tiger: An Expansion of Vision and a Development of Form

The terms 'vision' and 'form' are central in this topic, and so it is appropriate to start the discussion with a brief working definition of both terms. A writer's vision is the hope he envisages for his society deduced from his particular interpretation of the life and people that make up the world of his novel. Form, on the other hand, deals with the writer's manner of handling his preoccupations in his work; it is the stylistic choices he makes, to more effectively communicate his views about society and project his vision of that society. Before addressing myself to the issue that constitutes the major concern of this paper, I will briefly place Samuel Selvon in the context of West Indian history and literature, as this is relevant to his preoccupations in A Brighter Sun and Turn Again Tiger.