Bruce St. John was born in 1923 in Barbados. After completing his high school studies at Combermere Secondary School and Harrison College in Barbados, he pursued further education at the University of London, the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto), and also a Masters in Spanish at the University of Toronto. In addition to being a poet, St. John was a concert singer, physical education instructor, and a lecturer in Spanish at the University of the West Indies.
Among his works are two EPs, and two print works, although he also contributed to several anthologies. Like many Caribbean poets, St. John chose to write in both dialect and formal English, and this captured the authentic and lived experiences of Barbadians. Below are his most noted works:
The Foetus Plains (EP) 1972
The Foetus Pleasures (EP) 1972
At Kairi House, 1972 (with a revised edition in 1975)
Joyce and Eros and Varia. Yoruba Press, 1976
Edward Kamau Braithwaite contributed to this article in Encyclopedia.com in Bruce St. John's life and accomplishments, and it includes a few samples of his poetry. In the entry, Bruce St. John also provides comments on his writing style and process.
I would love to hear your comments on Bruce St. John's works so please let me know if you have met him, read his books, or listened to his EPs.
