Charles Bartlett Hyde. Janus: A Collection of Ideas and Opinions 2007-2012. Belize City, 2020. 240p.
“The only thing necessary is that the thing or the thought should be vividly apprehended, enjoyed, felt to be beautiful, and expressed with a certain gusto. It need confirm to no particular rules.” (Arthur Benson: The Art of the Essayist)
The occasion of another book being written and published by a Belizean is always a genuine reason to celebrate, because one more literary piece has been added to our sparse output. What makes this book by C.B. Hyde most unique, though, is that not many of our writers have ventured into the genre of essay writing. The author is an illustrious public figure in Belize society who has held many positions in support of our national development; and can be truly termed a ‘disciplined’, respected, and patriotic Belizean.
Gleaned from the chosen 46 essays in his book, we can discern that C.B. Hyde is a writer who has used his acumen for words, research, and a deep curiosity about life to depict social change by making many artistic statements. Indeed this ‘collection of ideas and opinions,’ which originally totalled 139 essays, and which he composed over a five-year period for weekly publication in the Amandala, has served to provide readers with prosaic gems focusing on subjects of discussion. In essence, then, his chosen literary device has allowed him to say almost everything about almost anything!
C.B. Hyde might not hold the title for being the only essayist in Belize, but certainly he is the most prolific in topics chosen. A great friend of his, Paul Rodriguez, had this to say of him in December 2008 at the re-naming of the Administration Building to the Charles Bartlett Hyde Building: “C.B. Hyde is great but not controversial. He is one of the top three essayists in Belize.” Like the great French essayist, Michel de Montaigne, Hyde writes in a rather crafted rhetoric which is designed to intrigue and involve the reader. In moving effortlessly in a stream of thought from topic to topic, he at other times employs a structured style that at once gives more emphasis to the didactic nature of his work. His topics span the entire spectrum, from the profound to the trivial, encapsulated under eight main headings, as he saw his era as one steeped in party politics, political reform, corrupt governments, lawlessness, immorality, and gangs. On the gentler side, his essays deal with sports, as he described legendary Belizean athletes and sportsmen; as well as faith and culture, as he wrote about the creation of the world and man’s procreation and existence.
The title of the book, Janus, takes us back to ancient Roman religion and myth, whereby Janus, represented by a double-faced head, presided over the beginning and ending of conflict – and hence war and peace. Described as the god of transitions, Janus had functions pertaining to birth; and as the month of January is named for him, he is also associated with a passage and a doorway into a new dimension. C.B. Hyde has taken readers into a new dimension, not exactly like a twilight zone, but one where the subject of the essays does not matter as much as the charm of the personality that shines through in the writing.
The very diligently thought-out essays of C.B. Hyde in Janus comprise a work that is timely and scholarly. The essay topics, placed in the context of all the social ills affecting Belize, will no doubt be most welcomed in its present book form by the reading public. This reviewer is hopeful that the remaining essays by C.B. Hyde will constitute a Janus volume two.