Brother Man (Akashic Caribbean Classics)

“It’s interesting to read Brother Man today, when Rastas and things Rastafarian have acquired such cultural charisma that their image, carried abroad by stars such as Bob Marley and other dreadlocked musicians, is now routinely used to advertise Jamaica as a tourist destination. Brother Man was the first Jamaican novel to portray a Rastafarian protagonist in positive terms . . . The very fact that Mais, writing in 1954 in conservative Jamaica, chose to focus on the thin edge between sexual pleasure and pain is noteworthy. Likewise, it’s also remarkable how gender-sensitive Mais is. Brother Man seems curiously current . . . a narrative well worth engaging with, from one of the most interesting literary figures the Caribbean has produced.” —Caribbean Beat

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 1954 and acclaimed around the world as one of the classics of Caribbean fiction, Brother Man is the tragic story of an honest Rastafarian healer caught up in a web of intrigue and betrayal in Jamaica’s tough West Kingston slums.

The healer’s name is John Power, but everybody calls him Brother Man—a cobbler whose ability to cure the sick and injured through a mystic force uplifts him to the status of a prophet. Throngs begin to follow him when he passes in the street. With each miracle performed, his reputation spreads.

Looking on with envy is the evil Papacita, a violent enforcer whose authority is threatened by Brother Man’s message of peace and love. Papacita’s jealousy is stirred in more ways than one. The brutal schemer also covets the attention of Minette, an attractive young woman who Brother Man has rescued from the streets.

Set in the same rambunctious lanes that reggae icons like Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff would later stroll and sing about, Brother Man is the unforgettable portrait of a ghetto saint—an ordinary man selected by the universe to bring enlightenment to poor belittled people. It’s a story of compelling mythic power that has stood the test of time. This new edition features a brand-new afterword from Jamaican writer Tanya Batson-Savage.

Brother Man is a selection of the Akashic Caribbean Classics Series, continuing our celebration of the extraordinary voices in Caribbean literature.