Jan Shinebourne

Master of Arts

Jan Lowe Shinebourne (born 1947), also published as Janice Shinebourne, is a Guyanese novelist who now lives in England.^[1] Being of Chinese ancestry and from Guyana allows her to represent a shared cultural experience that is very dynamic. She is praised for having a strong literary impact through her representations of the Chinese Caribbean Diaspora. Being able to provide an insight into Chinese-Caribbean culture has really enabled Shinebourne to have a distinguishing and rare voice in literature.^[2] In addition to being an author, Shinebourne also worked in London as an editor for several journals, as a political and cultural activist, and as a college and university lecturer. Jan has also done reading tours in many countries in North America, Europe and Asia. ^[3] Jan Shinebourne is one of only a few authors who have used their novels to bring to light the aspects of Chinese Caribbean studies. In general there is not a large emphasis on the Chinese Diaspora, but Jan has used her novels to examine the relationship among many characteristics. These relationships include the impact between homeland and country of residence on the diaspora. ^[4]

Background

Born in Canje, a plantation village within Berbice, Guyana, she was educated at Berbice High School and the University of Guyana. After school she was a reporter in Georgetown. She stayed in Guyana for her first twenty years and then in 1970 she emigrated to London, England where she lived for forty years. While living there, Shinebourne did her postgraduate literary studies at the University of London and obtained her Bachelors of Art in English. Moreover, she then began lecturing at colleges and universities and also became the co-editor of Southhall Review. Shinebourne began writing in the mid-1960s and in 1974 was a prize-winner in the National History and Arts Council Literary Competition. While living in England she developed a friendship with writer and publisher, John La Rose, whom introduced her to many people that would have an influence of her career.^[3][5] After living in London for 40 years, she made the move to Sussex, which is where she currently lives. Her works have been praised by Anne Jordan and Chris Searle for her literary value and political engagement. ^[6]

Literary Influence

Shinebourne is the author of many books, short stories, and essays. Her works represent the history of Chinese laborers who migrated to Guyana. Through her own upbringing and experiences she is able to portray the raw sense of womanhood, sexuality, and the limitations of patriarchy that she often writes about in her novels Shineborune has a rare voice in her writing style that distinguishes her from other authors. This allows her to be one of the most influence authors in Chinese Caribbean Diaspora literature.^[7]

She has produced works that are set in Guyana, the United Kingdom, and Canada that often deal with the idea of traditional Chinese values and culture. The representation of these particular belief systems is demonstrated through her attitude towards death within her works. Although Shinebourne is of Chinese ancestry and has not lived in China, the use of these ideologies is why she is defined as a Chinese Diaspora writer. However, she has shown skepticism within her identity and its consideration as being real chinese.^[2] This can be seen through several of her short stories. Her characters are often thought to portray real events that Shinebourne experienced. Although she has been published as an individual work, some of her essays have been published in major journals.

Works

Novels

Timepiece (Published in 1986), is one of Shinebournes first novels. After being offered a job as a reporter, Sandra Yansen, must leave behind her home village to go to Georgetown. As she is saying goodbye to her family and friends she feels a sense of betrayal for leaving where she was raised and confusion about her decisions. Once settled into her new job, she finds racial tension and the want for political freedom to be overwhelming. In her book, Shinebourne captures the need for independence and self acceptance within a young woman who is faced with many difficult questions of identity.^[6] The racial tension in the work between Indo-Guyanese and Afro-Guyanese is apparent throughout the novel. The author of the book puts more emphasis and focus on Indian cultural aspects, rather than Chinese ancestry. The emphasis creates an opportunity for readers to have varying viewpoints regarding ancestry and culture. ^[4]

The Last English Plantation (Published in 1988) is one of her most famous novels. This is a fast paced novel set in the 1950s that gives insight to two weeks of a young girl's life in Guyana during a time of turmoil.^[8] In the novel, June Lehall, attends her first few days of secondary school before a revolt erupts at the village sugar plantation that causes June and her village to take a second look at Guyana and it's ongoing racial tensions. June is forced to face the breakdown of the British plantation system while addressing questions of her individualism. This novel is a great example of Asian diaspora literature and the struggles small countries like Guyana live with.^[9] This work puts an emphasis on Chinese ancestry and focuses on the history of the Chinese in the Caribbean. ^[4]

Chinese Woman (Published in 2004), is another book written by Jan Lowe Shineboure. In this novel, the pain left from the mistreatment of Caribbean cultures and the resentment of political Islam are used to create a captivating story of a young boy named Albert Aziz, a Guyanese Indian Muslim who develops an obsessive love for a girl on his sugar can plantation. Years later, still harvesting feelings of anger towards the way he was treated as a child, he turns to radical Islam for comfort. This novel, portrays a young boy turned man who still has not dealt with his animosity towards others, clashing of cultures, and religion.^[10] While shining a light on an often times under-acknowledged perspective of the Caribbean and Muslim history.^[11]

The Last Ship (Published in 2015) is one of Shinebourne's latest novels to be released. This story is about a family that arrived in Guyana on The Admiral, the last ship to bring indentured Chinese workers. Through the main character, Clarice Chung, and her family, Shinebourne explores the issues of identity through the history of slavery/indenture in the Caribbean. Clarice's character puts a lot of emphasis on purity of Chinese ancestry. Shinebourne demonstrates the struggles involved with the integration of different cultures to better explain Guyanese-Chinese history. ^[12]

Short Stories

The Godmother and Other Stories (2004) is also one of Jane Lowe Shinebourne's more recent published works. It is a collection of stories separated into three parts covering four decades of Guyanese history in Guyana, the UK, and Canada.^[2] The first section captures Guyana during a time of change when they were transforming from a colony to an independent nation. Even after the transition, characters are still faced with social and class discrimination. In the second section, characters have moved to other countries, but still can not escape old identities. However far away the characters are, they still find themselves being influenced by Guyana culture. Although the first two sections are struggles faced by natives of Guyana, section three focuses more on the positive outcomes that can be achieved when culture is embraced instead of neglected. This novel provides an insight to the concepts of time and space, as well as identity.^[1]

Awards

• National History and Arts Council Literary Competition:1974
• Guyana Prize for Literature: "Best First Book of Fiction": 1987^[3]

Bibliography

• Timepiece (novel), Peepal Tree Press, 1986.
• The Last English Plantation (novel), Peepal Tree Press, 1988.
• Chinese Women (novel), Peepal Tree Press, 2010.
• The Godmother and Other Stories (stories), Peepal Tree Press, 2004.

References

External links

• "Preserving our literary heritage: Janice Lowe Shinebourne An Enabling Literary Culture" (interview), Guyana Chronicle, 6 April 2013; and "Preserving our literary heritage – Janice Lowe Shinebourne – An Enabling Literary Culture (part 2)", Guyana Chronicle, 13 April 2013.