Letter: Obscure to some, admired by others
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.RACHEL BORRILL stressed the apparent arbitrariness and artificiality of the inclusion of writers such as A S J Tessimond, Patricia Pogson and Samuel Selvon in the recently compiled literature anthology for the nation's 14-year-olds. One is led to conclude that Sam Selvon's writing is useful only because it fulfils the School Examinations and Assessment Council's multicultural needs and is otherwise 'relatively obscure'. Selvon is one of the Caribbean's most distinguished writers, a contemporary of V S Naipaul, Wilson Harris, and Derek Walcott. Had Derek Walcott not recently won the Nobel Prize for Literature, would he too (as the only other Caribbean writer in this anthology) have been described as one of those that 'nobody knows'?
Susheila Nasta
London SE10
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments