Trinidad’s criminal underworld will be exposed over the next month as book lovers peruse the book Trinidad Noir (Black Trinidad) during the National Library and Information Systems (Nalis) countrywide reading programme, One Book One Community (OBOC), Trinidad’s Guardian reports . 

The programme was launched yesterday during a short ceremony celebrating the selection of the 18-story anthology, expected to spur discussions, readings, dramatisations and other activities throughout the country. Executive director of Nalis, Annette Wallace, said the programme recognised the importance of local writers.

“It is imperative that we promote local writers, it is from local authors that we get a sense of self,” said Wallace. Lisa Allen-Agostini, who co-edited the anthology with Jeanne Mason, said she hoped the public would use the stories as a springboard to discuss the crime situation. She said though most people liked to ignore the situation in Trinidad, crime was a reality and Trinidad Noir gave a look at the dark side of the island’s life. She said that it was a humbling experience to see the anthology next to books such as Sir VS Naipaul’s Miguel Street and Earl Lovelace’s The Schoolmaster, which had been used for OBOC discussions in previous years.

For the original report go to http://guardian.co.tt/news/2011/04/27/book-lovers-get-look-dark-side-trinidad