The son of mixed parentage born in 1927, Lamming was educated through to the secondary school level in Barbados at Combermere School. Here he benefited from having yet another famous Barbadian writer, Frank Collymore, as his English teacher.
After he finished school Lamming left for Trinidad, where he taught for 5 years before migrating to England. There he worked in a factory and also broadcast for the BBC. Today, Lamming is described by many as “The Conscience of the Caribbean”.
His first novel, In the Castle of My Skin, is today arguably the most widely read West Indian novel of all time. He describes himself, however, as “a political novelist”, and has often examined such issues as sexism, racism, and colonialism.
The George Lamming Award for Prose Fiction is presented to the individual who writes with passion and precision about life in the Caribbean – past, present and future.
