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    Tag: Elaine Potter Richardson

    St. John’s, Lucy, My Brother

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    Ali Pinero September 20, 2006
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    By Jennifer Ciotta Jamaica Kincaid was born Elaine Potter Richardson on May 25, 1949 in the capital of Antigua and Barbuda, which is called St. John's. Antigua and Barbuda are small islands in the Leeward Island chain; today they are known for their pink sand beaches and high class resorts.  She lived with her mother, who doted on young Jamaica, but her father was absentee thus her stepfather took on this role.  She flourished in her studies, since she was usually at the top of her class, learning at the Princess Margaret School, winning her entrance by scholarship.  Under the strict British education system, the author has said in a past interview with Salon magazine, she felt she was being prepared for an MFA at a young age.  Jamaica read classics by British authors such as Kipling and Carlyle.  She also observed her mother who read extensively, in particular biographies of famous people. However, Jamaica's world came crashing down at age nine. Her mother gave birth to three boys consecutively thus her attention was shifted from her only girl.  Jamaica felt such a strong sense of abandonment that this theme would resound throughout her later writing. Five years later, at age 13, Jamaica, a gifted student, dropped out of school due to the sudden illness of her stepfather. Family responsibilities fell upon her shoulders resulting in deeper feelings of anguish and neglect. Finally at age 17, Kincaid left Antigua for good, since her parents shipped her off to Scarsdale, New York to work as an au pair. Once in the United States, she quit the job and moved to Manhattan. She then obtained new au pair work, but this time for Michael Arlen, who was a New Yorker writer. She remained at this job for four years thus receiving her first taste of the literary writer lifestyle. Kincaid earned her GED, took photography classes and won a scholarship to Franconia College (New Hampshire) but dropped out. Upon moving back to New York City in 1973, she took various jobs, such as modeling and secretarial work, to support herself. In the whole time she had been in the United States, Kincaid refused to open letters from her mother, and did not send home any money to help the family. Cutting these ties, she felt a newfound sense of freedom thus she decided to become a writer. However, still Elaine Potter Richardson in 1973, she changed her name to Jamaica Kincaid to keep her writing a secret from her family back in Antigua. Shortly thereafter, Ingenue magazine published the budding author's first article. Then came her biggest break: meeting George Trow, staff writer for the New Yorker.  This meeting subsequently led to Jamaica acquiring a position as a staff writer at the magazine for its famed Talk of the Town section. Later on, Kincaid was introduced to William Shawn, the editor. Eventually, she met Shawn''s son, Allen, and married him in 1979, and later bore two children. Kincaid went on to publish At the Bottom of the River, her first book of short  stories which received a Zabel Award in 1983.  Annie John came out in 1985, which received numerous praise by publications such as the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times Book Review. Since then she has published works such as: Lucy, My Brother (finalist for the National Book Award), My Garden Book and most recently Mr. Potter in 2002. Her work has been highly regarded since "critics have long praised Kincaid's lyrical, incantatory prose, which is characterized by rich colorful details about life in the Caribbean" (SparkNotes). Today Jamaica Kincaid, divorced from Allen Shawn, lives in Bennington, Vermont and continues to write. She is also an avid gardener and a visiting professor at Harvard University.

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