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Titulo: The Polished Hoe
Autor: Austin Clarke
Origem: Canadá
Ano da edição original: 2002
Editora: Thomas Allen Publishers
Páginas: 462
Língua original: Inglês
ISBN: 0887621104

Sinopse: When an elderly Bimshire village woman calls the police to confess a murder, the result is a shattering all-night vigil that brings together elements of the African diaspora in one epic sweep. Set on the post-colonial West Indian island of Bimshire in 1952, The Polished Hoe unravels over the course of 24 hours but spans the lifetime of one woman and the collective experience of a society informed by slavery. As the novel opens, Mary Mathilda is giving confession to Sargeant, a police officer she has known all her life. The man she claims to have murdered is Mr. Belfeels, the village plantation owner for whom she has worked for more than thirty years. Mary has also been Mr. Belfeels' mistress for most of that time and is the mother of his only son, Wilbeforce, a successful doctor. What transpires through Mary's words and recollections is a deep meditation about the power of memory and the indomitable strength of the human spirit. Infused with Joycean overtones, this is a literary masterpiece that evokes the sensuality of the tropics and the tragic richness of Island culture.

O autor e a obra: Austin Clarke é um escritor e ensaista canadiano, atualmente com 79 anos e 11 romances, 8 livros de contos, 1 de poesia e mais uns quantos de memórias publicados. Natural de Barbados, mudou-se para o Canadá aos 21 anos para estudar na Universidade de Toronto e acabou por ficar. O livro The Polished Hoe ganhou o Scotiabank Giller Prize (2002), Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book Overall (2003), Trillium Book Award (2003) tendo sido ainda nomeado para o International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Que tenha conhecimento nem este nem qualquer outro dos seus livros foi traduzido em Portugal.