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Olive Senior

@olivetheauthor

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A Jamaican writer whose work traverses many genres- fiction, nonfiction, poetry.
📚‘Paradise Once’ Out Now
🔗Check links for more info

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✨ Publication Day is Here ✨
I’m thrilled to share that my latest book published by @akashicbooks is officially out in the world today!

📚 Available now wherever books are sold
🔗 More info + purchase links in bio by @olivetheauthor

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a year ago

Paradise Once is also available as an audiobook from @penguinrandomhouse!
Listen while you walk, run, drive, or unwind 🎧

🔗 Find it wherever you get your audiobooks – link in bio.

#ParadiseOnce #ReadCaribbean #NowListening by @olivetheauthor

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a year ago

Praise from Edwidge Danticat…

“Senior’s work weaves history and mythology, capturing the genesis and heart of Caribbean culture.” — Edwidge Danticat

‘Paradise Once’ is already resonating deeply with readers.

🔗 Find out more + get your copy via the link in bio. by @olivetheauthor

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a year ago

There's this much space between me and
discovery.

I've heard so many people say they don't like or don't understand poetry, which is such a shame. It is my heart.

Do you have a favourite poem? by @olivetheauthor

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a month ago

Summer Lightning has been in print for 40 years!

The collection won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize in 1987, and its still being read, still being taught in 2026. by @olivetheauthor

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2 months ago

Remember: the past is only half the circle.

#EmancipationDay by @olivetheauthor

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2 months ago

Did you know I wrote a nonfiction book on the migration of West Indians to Panama to work on the canal and railroad?

Dying to Better Themselves is available on Amazon and UWI Press.

It's a fascinating history. by @olivetheauthor

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2 months ago

Jamaican workers on the Panama Canal outnumbered every other nationality on the French payroll. Olive Senior’s archive research found 12,875 labourers on the books in 1885. Of those, 9,005 were Jamaican. Doctors, druggists, pastors, translators and proofreaders went as well. In 2011 the records were inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World register under the title Silver Men. by @olivetheauthor

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2 months ago

I've always been fascinated by our heritage and folklore. That's what led me to compile the Encyclopedia of Jamaican Heritage, with almost 1000 entries from A to Z on everything from myths and legends to proverbs, history, and our natural world.

With Independence Day coming up, tell me what your favourite Jamaican proverb or legend is. by @olivetheauthor

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2 months ago

What are you reading this week?

#Caribbeanfiction #tbr #books by @olivetheauthor

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3 months ago

💙 Blue never looked so good! 💙

There's something about a stack of blue books that promises unforgettable stories. From powerful literary fiction to unforgettable voices, this TBR pile is calling our names.

So... what's on your TBR stack right now?

Are you reaching for:
💙 Gone to Drift by Diana McCaulay
💙 One Year of Ugly by Caroline Mackenzie
💙 Love Forms by Claire Adam
💙 Paradise Once by Olive Senior
...or another blue beauty?

Drop your current read or next read in the comments—we're always looking for our next great book!

#paperbasedbookshop #TBRStack #BlueBooks #BookStack #ReadersOfInstagram #BookLovers #BooksOfInstagram by @olivetheauthor

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3 months ago

Convincing you to add Paradise Once to your list of books to read!

#CaribbeanLiterature #CaribbeanBooks #HistoricalFiction #CaribbeanFiction #ReadCaribbean #SmallPress

Published by @akashicbooks and available at major retailers. by @olivetheauthor

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3 months ago