The Polished Hoe

World Premiere

by Austin Clarke
Directed by Colin Taylor
2007

When an elderly West Indian woman calls the police to confess to murder, the call results in a shattering all-night vigil that brings together every element of the African diaspora in one epic sweep. Set on the post-colonial West Indian island of Bimshire in 1952, THE POLISHED HOE unravels over the course of twenty-four hours but spans the lifetime of one woman and the collective experience of a society informed by slavery.

On November 5, 2002, Austin Clarke won the ninth annual Giller Prize for his tenth novel, The Polished Hoe, released in Canada and the Caribbean in fall 2002. The book went on to win Ontario’s Trillium Prize for the best book by an Ontario author; the regional Commonwealth Prize for Best Book, and the overall Commonwealth Prize for the best Book in the British Commonwealth. It was on Canadian bestseller lists for over 18 weeks and was nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 2004.