This course examines the development of the Caribbean poem in the twentieth century. Working with texts from Anglophone, Francophone and Hispanophone territories, the course explores the engagement of Caribbean poetry with issues of language - the debate between 'nation language' and 'standard English'; of style - the 'Caribbean sonnet' or the dub rant; of production - Faber & Faber or Island Records, and, underlying all of these, of audience - ways in which it/they/we are defined and respond to such writings. Poets to be discussed include Derek Walcott, Edward Kamau Brathwaite, Martin Carter, Aime Cesaire, Nicolás Guillén, Rene Depestre and Astrid Roemer.