Egbert Martin

Egbert Martin
Bornc. 1861
Georgetown, British Guiana
(modern Guyana)
Died (aged 29)
Georgetown, British Guiana
Resting placeLe Repentir Cemetery, Georgetown
Pen nameLeo
OccupationPoet
LanguageEnglish
Years active1881–1890

Egbert Martin (c. 1861 – June 23, 1890), writing under the alias Leo, was a 19th-century Guyanese poet.[1][2]

His poetry deal mostly with spiritual topics, while also focusing on the themes of African-Guianese history. Recurring themes of his works include change, disintegration, and death, which have been frequently associated with his frail health condition.[3] Martin was highly regarded by contemporary critics and is considered as Guyana's first major poet, despite his death from tuberculosis at the age of 29.[4] He is regarded as the founder of modern Guyanese literature.

  1. ^ Persaud, Petamber (February 19, 2021). "The Shaping of Guyanese Literature – Scriptology rediscovered". Guyana Times International. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  2. ^ Baytop, Adrianne (1976). "The Emergence of Caribbean English Literature". Latin American Literary Review. 4 (9): 33. JSTOR 20119034. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  3. ^ "Selected Poems by Egbert Martin". Guyana Chronicle. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference oxford was invoked but never defined (see the help page).