C. Everard Palmer, 82, in June 2013 (Jamaican-Canadian YA novelist)

[leno...@yahoo.com]

Born in Kendal, Jamaica, he moved to Canada in his 50s and lived in Mississauga, Ontario.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151669872147836.1073741830.173845467835&type=1
(this has a lovely layout of his book covers)

Excerpt:

"Mr. Palmer was born in Kendal , Hanover in 1930 and was educated at Kendal Elementary School. He studied at Mico Teachers’ College in Kingston and later still at Lakeside University in Canada. He worked as a journalist with the Gleaner Company before embarking on a career as an author. He was a prolific author of children’s books set in the Jamaican countryside and has received high praise for the excellence of his craftsmanship and sympathetic humour. Mr. Palmer has published The Cloud with the Silver Lining, Big Doc Bitterroot, The Sun Salutes You, The Hummingbird People, The Wooing of Beppo Tate, A Cow Called Boy, Babba and Mr. Big, My Father Sun Sun Johnson. An adult book, A Broken Vessel was published in 1960 by the Jamaica Pioneer Press. Everald Palmer has been recognized for his great work in Jamaican Literature. Among his awards are: Certificate of Merit by the Jamaican Reading Association for contribution to Jamaican Children Literature 1977 Silver Musgrave Medal for Literature from the Institute of Jamaica In 1999 he was honoured at a ceremony held in Hanover where a message from the Canadian High Commissioner John Robinson, read by Councillor at the Canadian High Commission Robert Richard, described Mr. Palmer as ‘the master of the rural Caribbean tale for any readership, adult or juvenile’. Mr. Palmer has been living in Canada since 1974 where he has been teaching and writing. Mr. Palmer died on June 16, 2013 in Mississauga, Canada. The National Library of Jamaica joins in the celebration of the life and work of this prolific Jamaican writer and extends our sympathy to his family."

http://cucumberjuice.wordpress.com/2013/07/01/cyril-everard-palmer-1930-2013/
(long remembrance)

Last two paragraphs:

....Thankfully before his death, he was recognized for his work. He has been awarded the Certificate of Merit from the Jamaica Reading Association (for his contribution to Jamaican children’s literature), and the 1977 Silver Musgrave Medal for Literature from the Institute of Jamaica. In 2001 he was honoured for his work as an author by the Hanover Historical Society and Museum, and an exhibition of his books was displayed at the Hanover Museum. He called that 2011 honour “extraordinary since nothing like [that] had ever happened to me,” noting too that it was “overwhelming” to find himself in the limelight having “sneaked in and out of Jamaica many times before.”

Mr. Palmer may not have captured the attention of Jamaicans as Miss Lou did but I think he is no less an important literary figure in Jamaican history and culture. He was, simply, a very good storyteller. He told our stories. He seemed a quiet man, content to write about the part of Jamaica he knew well. But I think it is remiss of us to allow his passing to go so unremarked and unremembered. It seems to me that he was one of our many “nation builders” whose work is an enjoyable and necessary record of Jamaican life as few now know it. So, I guess I have tried to do that here, to mark down as best as I can about his work and about his contribution. Most of his books are still available and are recommended reading in Jamaican schools. There is some question about whether books like those written by C. Everard Palmer are relatable to (and I guess appropriate for?) young Jamaicans (see Kei Miller’s post “In Defense of Maas Joe” about that) but there is no question in my mind that his work is important and shouldn’t be condemned to the dusty corners of our national consciousness and personal memories.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULP3HEYoolw
(video of memorial - 4:23 minutes)

http://glenoaks.sharingmemories.ca/mobile/guestbook.html?personId=239038
(guestbook)

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20130628/letters/letters4.html
(letter)

Excerpt:

Without apology, he stated that his books were "intended to revive for adults the fast-disappearing or totally extinct aspects of Jamaican life, and for children, recreating them because they have missed them - the infinite bliss of bathing in rivers, the fun of handling animals, walking barefooted in dew-wet grass, hearing the screech of an owl's voice ... ."


https://groups.google.com/forum/#!search/80th$20everard$20palmer/rec.arts.books.childrens/JRzuS6hSprY/l6LRvTcl3G0J
(birthday post from 2010, with booklist)


Lenona.