 First edition cover | |
| Author | Edgar Mittelholzer |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Sanford |
| Language | English |
| Subject | racism,slavery,misogyny[1] |
| Genre | Novel,ghost story,[2]social realism |
| Set in | British Guiana, 1933 |
| Publisher | Secker & Warburg |
Publication date | 1955 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print: hardback |
| Pages | 173 |
| ISBN | 978-0-582-78552-6 |
| 823.914 | |
| LC Class | PR9320.9 .M5 M9 |
| Preceded by | The Adding Machine: A Fable for Capitalists and Commercialists |
| Followed by | Of Trees and the Sea |
My Bones and My Flute: A Ghost Story in the Old-Fashioned Manner is a 1955 novel byGuyanese authorEdgar Mittelholzer.[3][4][5]
British Guiana, 1933. Ajumbee (ghost) of a Dutch slaveowner, who died bysuicide after his family was killed in the1763 slave revolt, haunts whoever comes in contact with hiswill until his bones andflute are buried according to Christian rites.[6] The document's owner, lumber magnate Ralph Nevinson, journeys deep into the jungles of Guiana with painter Milton Woodsley in order to find the Dutchman's bones and flute and end the curse.[7]
InStabroek News, Al Creighton wrote: "[My Bones and My Flute] fictionalises both colonialNew Amsterdam and the upper reaches of theBerbice River in such memorable fashion that the book stands as a record of the place. It recalls the mythical spiritual preoccupations with the Dutch, the forest and riverain environments that they haunt and the supernatural mysteries that still dwell in a society with a deep respect forobeah."[8] It is generally his most highly-regarded work and is seen as an important piece ofCaribbean literature.[9][10]
A radio adaptation was produced byRadio Demerara, read by James Sydney, and was very popular inGuyana.[11][12]
In 2022,My Bones and My Flute was included on theBig Jubilee Read, a list of 70 books byCommonwealth authors produced to celebrateQueen Elizabeth II'sPlatinum Jubilee.[13][14]
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