Product Review

A vibrant meditation on the difficult beauty of the Caribbean, taking the form of a dialogue between a Nobel Prize–winning poet and a renowned figurative painter

Morning, Paramin offers us a stunning collaboration between a Nobel Prize–winning poet, Derek Walcott, and a renowned figurative painter, Peter Doig. It journeys through the physical and psychological landscapes of two lives, from the snowy landscapes of Edmonton to the sun-washed shores of the Caribbean, from the process of mourning a loved one to the experience of watching a film. Taking the form of a call-and-response, with paintings on one side and poetry on the other, Morning, Paramin lets Walcott’s characteristic perception and wit shine through in his illuminating responses to Doig’s luminescent paintings. Both poems and paintings are triumphant celebrations of life’s pleasures and pains―loving, observing, aging.

Walcott, born and living in St. Lucia, and Doig, living in Trinidad, engage in a powerful dialogue on the Caribbean’s colonial legacy, the politics of home and belonging, and the boundaries of art. A poignant exploration of a friendship and a vibrant meditation on the difficult beauty of the Caribbean, Morning, Paramin probes the boundaries of communication and celebrates the thrills of a shared language.