Roger Mais Biography

• Roger Mais Biography 

  Roger Mais was a Jamaican novelist, playwright, journalist and painter who was born on the 11th August,1905. He began writing verse and short stories in the 1930's. He was journalist and contributor to the Public Opinion, from 1939 to 1952. He also wrote plays, reviews  and short stories for other newspapers, including Focus and The Jamaica Daily Gleaner.

  Mais was a close friend of political leader and later Chief Minister of Jamaica, Norman Manley, and was good friends with the Chief Minister profoundly influenced by the political, cultural and social climate of his times, as a result,  most of his articles focused on injustice and in-equality. He used this approach to attract local audiences and pushed for national identity and anti-colonialism.

   As a writer and novelist, he wrote about one hundred short stories and a few novels, including " Brother Man", "The Hills Were Joyful Together" and "Black Lightning". 

   As a result of his avid involvement in journalism and writing of novels, he was awarded with ten first prizes in West Indian literary competitions.

   In 1955, Mais returned to Jamaica after falling ill with cancer and eventually died the same year at age 50.