"Dutch Caribbean literature--that is literature written by Caribbean authors in Dutch--is written in Suriname, the Netherlands Antilles, Aruba and the Netherlands. So far, this literature has been reviewed from separate, national points of view. It is true that the countries differ. For centuries, Suriname was an agricultural and plantation economy; the Antilles flourished through trade. Suriname became independent in 1975, while the islands chose to remain part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This article seeks to transcend borders and opposites to approach this four century-old literature as the expression of a common Caribbean culture, a unity." --The Author
