Time, History, and Philosophy in the Works of Wilson Harris

Gianluca Delfino's encounter with one of the Caribbean's most controversial authors illuminates Wilson Harris's imaginative approach to history and time. Delfino references several novels, with a special focus on The Infinite Rehearsal (1987), Jonestown (1996), and The Dark Jester (2001). His analysis encompasses critical perspectives from African philosophy to Jungian readings, refracted through historiography and anthropology, demonstrating the remarkable unity that binds four decades of Harris's work. As a result, the cross-cultural quality of Harris's thought emerges as a healing outcome of the traumatic colonial encounter, bringing together elements of Amerindian, African, and European origin in an ongoing dialogue with time, nature, and the psyche.