Gordon Rohlehr

Gordon Rohlehr
Born
Daniel Frederick Gordon Rohlehr

(1942-02-20)20 February 1942
Died29 January 2023(2023-01-29) (aged 80)
Trinidad
EducationQueen's College;
University College of the West Indies
Occupations
  • Scholar
  • literary critic
Notable workCalypso and Society in Pre-Independence Trinidad (1989)
SpouseBetty Ann Rohlehr
AwardsHenry Swanzy Award, 2014; Chaconia Medal (Silver), 2022

Gordon Rohlehr (20 February 1942 – 29 January 2023) was a Guyana-born scholar and critic of West Indian literature, noted for his study of popular culture in the Caribbean, including oral poetry, calypso and cricket. He pioneered the academic and intellectual study of Calypso, tracing its history over several centuries, writing a landmark work entitled Calypso and Society in Pre-Independence Trinidad (1989), and is considered the world's leading authority on its development.