Martin Wylde Carter | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 June 1927 Georgetown, British Guiana |
| Died | 13 December 1997 (aged 70) Georgetown, Guyana |
| Pen name | M. Black |
| Occupation | Poet, political activist |
| Nationality | Guyanese |
| Notable works | Poems of Resistance from British Guiana (1954), Poems of Affinity (1980) |
| Notable awards | 1994 Order of Roraima |
| Spouse | Phyllis Carter (née Howard) |
Martin Wylde Carter (7 June 1927 – 13 December 1997) was a Guyanese poet and political activist. Widely regarded as the greatest Guyanese poet, and one of the most important poets of the Caribbean region, Carter is best known for his poems of protest, resistance and revolution.[1][2][3][4] He played an active role in Guyanese politics, particularly in the years leading up Independence in 1966 and those immediately following. He was famously imprisoned by the British government in Guyana (then British Guiana) in October 1953 under allegations of "spreading dissension", and again in June 1954 for taking part in a People's Progressive Party (PPP) procession.[5][6] Shortly after being released from prison the first time, he published his best-known poetry collection, Poems of Resistance from British Guiana (1954).[7][8]