Dionne Brand, a Trinidadian-Canadian writer, is one of the most evocative voices in Caribbean literature. Her works weave together themes of displacement, resilience, and generational trauma. Born in Guayaguayare, Trinidad, in 1953, Dionne Brand emigrated to Canada in the early 1970s, establishing herself as one of the most significant Caribbean-Canadian writers. Her works span poetry, fiction, and essays, each marked by her sharp intellect and commitment to social justice.
Brand’s identity as a Caribbean and Canadian writer informs her work, allowing her to navigate the intersections of race, gender, and diaspora with a unique perspective. Her writing reflects a deep understanding of how global forces shape individual lives, particularly those of marginalised communities.
Her 1999 novel, At the Full and Change of the Moon, exemplifies her ability to merge lyrical prose with sharp social commentary, creating a narrative that transcends borders and time.
Brand’s At the Full and Change of the Moon is an epic exploration of the reverberations of slavery, colonialism, and migration. The novel begins with an 1824 slave revolt in Trinidad orchestrated by Marie Ursule, a Trinidadian slave who stages a mass suicide as an act of defiance against her captors, leaving behind her young daughter, Bola. From this searing act of resistance, the story unfolds across continents and centuries, tracing the lives of Marie Ursule’s descendants as they navigate the lingering trauma of enslavement and the complexities of diaspora. Kirkus Reviews sums it up thus.
Marie Ursule’s rebellion becomes a haunting metaphor for how the legacy of slavery shapes not only the past but the present and future of those affected. Through Bola and her descendants, Brand explores how history is carried—sometimes as an inheritance, sometimes as a burden—by those scattered across the globe, from the Caribbean to Canada, Europe, and beyond.
Kirkus Reviews reveals her cast of characters in this succinct description.
“Brand vividly captures the essence of slavery in the leg irons clapped on MarieUrsule, the witchy queen of a secret society of slaves. The shackles do physical damage, but their true harm is spiritual; to be whole, Marie-Ursule must be free. By the time the irons are removed, she has gone a little mad. She leads her “regiment” in a final act of defiance, mass suicide, which so distresses the British Admiralty that in another ten years, it grudgingly frees the slaves.
“Marie-Ursule becomes a heroine of the island, both a curse and a great example to her progeny. First among these is Bola, the daughter of Marie-Ursule, who could not bear to be taken with her to the grave and lives well into the 20th century. Bola is barely parented by her distraught and often-absent father; she raises herself, becoming an absentminded figure who sits by the rocks of her tiny inlet, Culebra, watching whales and seducing men. No man sticks around, but Bola begets myriad children and grandchildren, who in turn raise themselves and wander the world from nearby Venezuela to Holland, Israel, and Canada.
“There’s the unpriestly Priest, who becomes a junkie and a gangster in the States, and the intriguing Samuel, of Indian and Trinidadian descent, who wants to fight for England and yet is relegated to hard labour because of his skin colour. Finally, a modern Bola, a woman living in Culebra, is searching for an identity in the family house. Alice Walker with a Caribbean flavour and believable men: a sort of dream of history.”
Displacement lies at the heart of Brand’s narrative. Her characters, whether born in Trinidad or abroad, are deeply marked by the rupture of migration. Brand captures the sense of being “scattered like the stars of the night,” evoking the physical and emotional fragmentation experienced by the descendants of slavery and colonialism.
In Brand’s work, the diaspora is not merely geographic but deeply psychological. Her characters wrestle with questions of belonging, identity, and the often uneasy relationship with their ancestral roots. The scattered lives of Marie Ursule’s descendants echo the broader Caribbean experience, where migration is both a necessity and a consequence of historical forces.
Brand’s prose is a remarkable fusion of poetry and narrative, imbuing her work with a rhythm and resonance that captivates the reader. She draws heavily from her background as a poet, using vivid, precise, and evocative language. Her portrayal of Trinidad’s vibrant landscapes and complex histories anchors the novel in a specific place while speaking to universal themes.
In passages such as this, Brand captures the tension between longing and dislocation: “The island lived in her blood but not in her footsteps. Her life was somewhere else, always somewhere else.”
Brand’s poetic cadence mirrors the fragmented yet interconnected lives of her characters, creating a narrative that feels both intimate and vast.
One of the most profound aspects of At the Full and Change of the Moon is its exploration of intergenerational trauma. Brand delves into how the horrors of slavery are not confined to the past but echo through the lives of Marie Ursule’s descendants. The novel reveals how trauma is carried silently, manifesting in subtle ways as families struggle to reconcile their histories with their present lives.
Yet, amid the weight of history, Brand’s characters exhibit remarkable resilience. Their stories resonate as the enduring strength of those who survive and adapt in the face of immense adversity.
In Brand’s world, memory is both a source of pain and a tool for survival, allowing her characters to reclaim their identities and assert their humanity.
Dionne Brand’s At the Full and Change of the Moon is a meditation on the enduring legacies of slavery, migration, and displacement. Her work is a testament to the power of storytelling to illuminate the complexities of history and the resilience of those who live in its shadow.
Dionne Brand’s literary achievements include several novels, poetry collections, and essays, each offering profound insights into the human condition. Some of her notable works include:
• Novels:
• In Another Place, Not Here (1996)
• What We All Long For (2005)
• Love Enough (2014)
• Poetry Collections:
• ↓Land to Light On (1997), winner of the Governor General’s Award for Poetry
• ↓Ossuaries (2010), winner of the Griffin Poetry Prize
• Essays
• ↓A Map to the Door of No Return: Notes to Belonging (2001), an exploration of the Black diaspora and identity.
As we continue this series on Caribbean women writers, Brand’s contribution reminds us of the richness and diversity of voices that emerge from the region. Her work challenges us to confront the past while finding hope and meaning in the fragments of our shared humanity.
