Anthony Hewitt aka Anton Marks
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Anthony Hewitt aka Anton Marks | |
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| Born | Sheffield, Yorkshire |
| Nationality | British/Jamaican |
| Occupation | Author |
| Website | antonmarks |
Anton Marks is the pen name of Anthony Hewitt, a British/Jamaican author who largely writes speculative fiction. Anton has been writing since primary school in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England. His first adventure story was extremely popular with his fellow third grade pupils, but less so with the headmaster.
Shortly afterwards, Anton’s homesick parents returned to Jamaica after 25 years in England, allowing Anton to observe island life as an outsider. The details of the vibrant experiences he observed have coloured his work ever since: the customs, language, superstitions, and characters.
Anton’s love of reading was stoked by a set of children’s encyclopaedias lent to him by a Jesuit priest; he later found inspiration in authors of fiction like Louise “Miss Lou” Bennett.[1] “Miss Lou” was a pioneer, bringing West African folklore to life via the trickster god Anancy. Anton admired how “Miss Lou” captured the Jamaican patois in writing for the first time, and her short stories about Anancy and his exploits offered the young writer a riveting glimpse into Jamaican culture.
Anton’s style has also been inspired by the Shaw Brother epics from Hong Kong and Hollywood blockbusters from the United States of America, which appealed to Jamaica’s thriving cinema-going public. He is known for his use of Caribbean culture in his novels.[2]
Anton Marks’ debut novel, Dancehall, was published by X-Press Publishers, formed in 1992 in London, and listed in the Jamaican National Bibliography 1962-2012[3]. The tale brought Jamaican culture to life through the rise of talented dancehall DJ Simba Ranking. Set against the backdrop of Kingston’s volatile ghettos, the plot melded crime thriller with reggae, attracting high levels of interest from a range of audiences. [4]
Anton’s next work was a futuristic thriller In the Days of Dread, followed by crime thriller Bushman in 2007. Mike Phillips' foreword to "A Black British Canon?" "Foreword: Migration, Modernity and English Writing — Reflections on Migrant Identity and Canon Formation" recommends Bushman in the further reading section, highlighting his identity as one of the "Brixton boys".[5] and [6]. For Phillips, Marks was one of the key authors who should have been included in Sukhdev Sandhu's 2004 work "London Calling".[7]
Bushman was followed by futuristic erotic thriller 69.
In 2013 Anton rolled out the beginnings of a Charlie’s Angels-type supernatural thriller called Bad II the Bone which again caught the attention of the dancehall community [8]. The novel was followed by Good II be Bad and Good Girls Gone Bad.
He also began a young adult sci-fi/fantasy series under the name Anthony Hewitt. The first book Joshua N’Gon: Last Prince of Alkebulahn and book 2 Joshua N’Gon & the Battle for St. Augustine. Book 3 Joshua N’Gon and the Trial on Gorilla Mountain will be released in 2024.
Anton created a short story line called Urban Fantastic Shorts, to cater for his more concise work, This collection includes Messiah, Chauffeur, Omega Point, and Pest Control. Anton Marks' public appearances include the Black Book Festival 2023 (UK) which was part of Black History Month 2023.[9]
References
- ↑ "Louise Bennett-Coverley – Jamaica Information Service". jis.gov.jm.
- ↑ "UK-based author highlights Caribbean heritage in his novels". Jamaica Observer. August 20, 2019.
- ↑ https://nlj.gov.jm/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/JNB50_Author_Title.pdf
- ↑ "Anton Marks ushers in new wave of 'Dancehall' with latest novel". Dancehall Reggae World.
- ↑ Phillips, Mike (January 1, 2006). Low, Gail; Wynne-Davies, Marion (eds.). A Black British Canon?. Palgrave Macmillan UK. pp. 13–31. doi:10.1057/9780230625693_2 – via Springer Link.
- ↑ https://www.tate.org.uk/tate-encounters/edition-1/Eng-Lit-and-Canon-Formation.pdf
- ↑ Phillips, Mike (August 30, 2003). "From slaves to straw men". The Guardian.
- ↑ "Anton Marks proves he is 'Bad II The Bone' in new novel - Dancehall Usa". dancehallusa.com. February 22, 2015.
- ↑ "Black Book Festival 2023". Black History Month 2023. February 14, 2008.
External links
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