The acclaimed poet and playwright always felt a deep connection to Caribbean society and to the blend of cultures that the islands represent. Derek Walcott grew up in Saint Lucia, studied in Jamaica and founded a theater workshop in Trinidad. Of his many works, Walcott is best known for “Omeros” (1990), an ambitious 64-chapter “Odyssey”-esque epos set on the Caribbean islands. The Swedish Academy awarded Walcott the prize "for a poetic oeuvre of great luminosity, sustained by a historical vision, the outcome of a multicultural commitment."
