Derek Walcott

Walcott at an honorary dinner in Amsterdam, 20 May 2008
Born Derek Alton Walcott
23 January 1930 (age*85)
Castries, Saint Lucia
Occupation Poet, playwright, professor
Nationality Saint Lucian
Genre Poetry and plays
Notable works Omeros
Notable awards Nobel Prize in Literature
1992
T. S. Eliot Prize
2011
Children Peter Walcott, Elizabeth Walcott-Hackshaw, Anna Walcott-Hardy
Signature
Derek Alton Walcott, OBE OCC (born 23 January 1930) is a Saint Lucian- Trinidadian poet and playwright. He received the 1992 Nobel Prize in Literature.[1] He is currently Professor of Poetry at the University of Essex. His works include the Homeric epic poem Omeros (1990), which many critics view "as Walcott's major achievement."[2][3] In addition to having won the Nobel, Walcott has won many literary awards over the course of his career, including an Obie Award in 1971 for his play Dream on Monkey Mountain, a MacArthur Foundation "genius" award, a Royal Society of Literature Award, the Queen's Medal for Poetry, the inaugural OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature[4] and the 2011 T. S. Eliot Prize for his book of poetry White Egrets.[5]

Early life and education
Walcott was born and raised in Castries, Saint Lucia, in the West Indies with a twin brother, the future playwright Roderick Walcott, and a sister, Pamela Walcott. His family is of African and European descent, reflecting the complex colonial history of the island which he explores in his poetry. His mother, a teacher, loved the arts and often recited poetry around the house.[6] His father, who painted and wrote poetry, died at age 31 from mastoiditis while his wife was pregnant with the twins Derek and Roderick, who were born after his death.[6] Walcott's family was part of a minority Methodist community, who felt overshadowed by the dominant Catholic culture of the island established during French colonial rule.