[Rosa Guy]'s personal life odyssey has been a major influence on the scope and tone of her writing. Upon arriving in the United States with her parents in the early 1930's and moving to Harlem at the age of eight, Rosa became a prolific observer of African-American culture and the forces that shape its existence in American society. Guy's novels have explored the stifling consequences of poverty in settings as far away as the Caribbean, or as near as New York's Harlem. Once it is published, her newest novel from Dutton Press, The Sun, The Sea, A Touch of the Wind will join an impressive body of literary material authored by Ms. Guy that include: Bird At My Window; A Measure of Time; And Then She Heard A Bird Sing; Edith Jackson; Ruby; Children of the Longing; and Music of Summer.
Verila, on the other hand, is a woman who is in constant flight and change. She lives in Canada and has returned to her island birthplace, ultimately in search of happiness. Elizete professes her love for Verila early in the book. The excitement and overwhelming for desire Elizete has for Verila is palpable. She claims, "I abandon everything for Verila. I sink in Verila and let she flesh swallow me up. I devour her. She open me up like any morning. Limp, limp and rain light, soft to the marrow."
[Rosa Guy]'s novels have explored the stifling consequences of poverty in settings as far away as the Caribbean, or as near as New York's Harlem for over 30 years. Once it is published, "The Sun, The Sea, A Touch of the Wind" will join an impressive body of literary material authored by Ms. Guy that includes "Bird At My Window," "A Measure of Time," "And Then She Heard of Bird Sing," "Edith Jackson," "Ruby," "Children of the Longing" and "Music of Summer." "I believe I write for everybody," says Guy., "Young people like my work because I don't talk down to them." This attitude helps explain the on-going popularity of her "Imamu Jones Mystery Series," a crossover favorite among both Black and White young readers. Many of them have come of age reading the suspenseful "Mystery Series" which focuses on the trials and tribulations of a Brooklyn teen struggling to define his manhood.
