Benjamin, My Son

by Philp, Geoffrey

• ISBN13: 9781900715782
• ISBN10: 1900715783
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-11-01
• Publisher: Peepal Tree Press Ltd.

Summary

A Jamaican retooling of Dante’s Inferno, this literary thriller tells the story of Jason Lumley, a native Jamaican living in Miami, Florida, who returns to his homeland when his politician stepfather is murdered. Accompanied by his girlfriend, Nicole, who offers an echo of Beatrice, Lumley meets up with a mentor Rastafarian and a locksmith named Virgil who accompany them through the garrison ghetto area of Standpipe. In his quest, Lumley encounters former acquaintances and earlier manifestations of himself that offer bracing commentary on the sexism, homophobia, and corruption that have replaced the nationalist dream.

Author Biography

Geoffrey Philp is an artist in residence at the Seaside Institute and the author of Exodus and Other Poems, Florida Bound, Hurricane Center, Xango Music, and Uncle Obadiah and the Alien. He is the recipient of the Individual Artist fellowship from the Florida Arts Council, the Sauza Stay Pure award, and the James Michener fellowship at the University of Miami. His poems and short stories have also appeared in Asili, The Mississippi Review, The Caribbean Writer, Gulf Stream, Apalachee Quarterly, Journal of Caribbean Studies, Florida in Poetry, The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories, and Whispers from the Cotton Tree Root. He lives in Miami, Florida.