Herbert George de Lisser (1878-1944), born in Jamaica of parents of Afro-Jewish descent, is known as one of the first notable English-speaking novelists of the Caribbean. He was also the first author to present Jamaica from an insider’s perspective. Coming from a newspaper family, he soon became editor of the Daily Gleaner where he kept a regular column called “Random Jottings” which he used as a chance to comment on current events in a funny or satirical way. He grew to be greatly honored in Jamaica as a journalist and writer from 1903 to 1944. De Lisser’s writing achievements were recognized when he was awarded the Silver Musgrave Medal in 1919 and the Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George in 1920.

The first three novels by de Lisser, including Jane: A Story of Jamaica (coming soon) and Susan Proudleigh, focused on Jamaican history and society and on the country’s tendencies toward oppression and resistance. Another famous novel of his, The White Witch of Rosehall, is linked to a legend of a haunting in Jamaica. He also wrote several plays, and in 1920 he began publishing Planters’ Punch as an annual magazine.

You can find Susan Proudleigh and The White Witch of Rosehall, here at Faded Page with more titles coming. If you like what we do we hope you will consider volunteering to help us bring more public domain titles like these to Canada. Information about volunteering is available on our companion site, Distributed Proofreaders Canada.