The Dragon Can't Dance
Earl Lovelace

In this novel, Carnival takes on social and political importance for the population of a shantytown called Calvary Hill. Usually invisible to the rest of society, these locals join the throng and flaunt their neighborhood personas in masquerade during the Carnival festivities. For some, these disguises help to realize secret longings and aspirations. But for Aldrick, the dashing “King of the Hill” who is dressed as a glorious dancing dragon, it will take one more masquerade—this time involving guns and hostages—before the illusion of power becomes reality.

“The Dragon Can't Dance is a wonderful work filled with depth, insight, and truth. While the story is grounded in the milieu of Trinidad, its message is universal and timeless.”
—Multicultural Review

“Powerful...memorable”
—Chicago Tribune

Earl Lovelace, the “consummate Caribbean man of letters” (Publishers Weekly), was born in Toco, Trinidad in 1935. His many books include the novels While Gods Are Falling, winner of the Independence Literary Award; Salt, winner of the 1997 Commonwealth Writers Prize; and A Brief Conversion and Other Stories. He resides in his native Trinidad, and is on the faculty of Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. 

Paperback / $16.95 / ISBN 978-0-89255-272-6 / 240 pages / Fiction