Most of the works of fiction by Guyanese writers that I've read so far have been heavily spiced with elements of the supernatural. Some writers (most notably, Mark McWatt) have handled the realm of the supernatural with a deftness that takes it out of the surreal, and makes it less strange and more like an understandable aspect of Guyanese culture--a magical realism in a sense. Other writers have made the realm of the supernatural seem unfathomable and incomprehensible, a frightening place where frightening people dwell.
So far, three works I've read by Guyanese writers--Ariadne and Other Stories, Fictions, and Wild Maami--have made little or no mention of the supernatural. Incidentally (or not) the authors of those works, Ruel Johnson and Roopnandan Singh, live in Guyana.
I'm not at this point prepared to make any differentiating statements between works by Guyanese writers living in Guyana and those living outside of Guyana, but the use or absence of elements of the supernatural is certainly pause for note, though (I stress) not yet sufficient for a theoretical statement...at least not from me.
What I would like to know from you is how important (or not) is the realm of the supernatural in Guyanese culture? And, is the Guyanese writer who avoids mentioning or including the supernatural in his or her work omitting an integral part of Guyanese culture?
