Michael Anthony Biography

Trinidadian novelist, short-story writer, and journalist, born in Mayaro, Trinidad. In 1954 he migrated to England where he later worked as a journalist for Reuters in London. During 1967–70 he and his family lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he worked as a diplomat, returning to Trinidad in 1970. His novels are very much about the day-to-day concerns of ordinary people, being particularly notable for their focus on childhood, and the child's viewpoint. Two of the best are semi-autobiographical: The Year in San Fernando (1965), which plunges into the emotionally insecure world of a 12-year-old boy who works as a servant in the home of an occasionally cruel and thoughtless wealthy family; and Green Days by the River (1967), about a boy who misses his father whom, like Anthony himself, he lost at an early age. Other novels include The Games Were Coming (1963), Streets of Conflict (1976), and All That Glitters (1981). His collections of short stories include Cricket on the Road (1973) and The Chieftain's Carnival and Other Stories (1993). King of the Masquerade (1979) is a children's novel. Journalistic works include Profile of Trinidad (1975) and Bright Road to El Dorado (1982). The Golden Quest: The Four Voyages of Christopher Columbus (1992) is a historical study.