Brian Burland was born on April 23, 1931, and passed away on February 11, 2010. He was a writer from Bermuda who authored nine well-known novels. His stories often explored themes such as colonialism, family conflicts, and race. In addition to writing novels, Burland was also a published poet. He was the first Bermudian novelist to gain recognition worldwide.

Early years

Brian Berkeley Burland was born in Bermuda in 1931 to Gordon Burland and his wife, Honor (born Gosling). He had three siblings and came from a wealthy family. From a young age, Brian was aware of racial inequalities in Bermuda and cared about the struggles of Black Bermudians. A significant person in his early life was Sarah Hinson, his Black Bermudian nanny. She is shown as a brave character in his book The Flight of the Cavalier. Burland’s family honored his wish to be buried next to her at St. Paul’s Church in Paget.

Education

Burland started his education at Saltus Grammar School in Hamilton, Bermuda. In 1944, he went to England as a student at Aldenham School in Hertfordshire. His experiences traveling across the Atlantic Ocean during World War II inspired his early novel A Fall from Aloft (1968). Later, Burland studied at the University of Western Ontario in Canada, where he took a graduate course in English. However, he left the university without completing his degree. After that, he traveled to Ireland and began writing his first novel.

In 1951, Burland returned to Bermuda after his father passed away. He worked for five years in his father’s construction company. During this time, he played cricket with a team that included Black players, which caused some people to react with surprise. This experience provided him with ideas for his novels. In 1956, Burland sold his share in the company and moved to Jamaica at the age of 26. There, he met Noël Coward, who was impressed by one of Burland’s short stories.

Publication

In 1964, Burland started being published, with his first book, St. Nicholas in the Tub, published in the United States. His next novel, A Fall From Aloft, was published in the United Kingdom in 1968. Other books he wrote include A Few Flowers for St. George (1970), Undertow (1961), and The Sailor and the Fox (1973). Additional novels by Burland are Surprise (1975), Stephen Decatur, the Devil and the Endymion (1975), Flight of the Cavalier (1980), and Love is a Durable Fire (1985). His papers include the manuscripts of five books that have not been published yet.

Burland’s novels were often praised in publications such as The Observer, The Times Literary Supplement, The Spectator, The Times in London, The New Statesman, and The New York Times. Writers like novelist Anthony Burgess, playwright David Rabe, and actor Sir Ralph Richardson praised his work. In response to one rare negative review, Burland wrote a letter to The New York Times in July 1986, addressing the reviewer’s criticism.

Personal life

Burland married and divorced three times. His first wife was Charlotte Ann "Gale" Burland, with whom he had three children: Susan, Anne, and William. His second wife was Edwina Trentham, who was the mother of his son Benjamin. His third wife was Ishbel Gibb Lee. He was the first person from Bermuda to join the Bahá'í Faith in 1949. He once said, "It's been an inspiration for all my writing and painting; it's a connection with a higher power."

In his later years, Burland had Huntington's disease. He lived at Westmeath Nursing Home and later at Sylvia Richardson Care Facility. He died on February 11, 2010, at the age of 78. He was buried on February 16, 2010, at St. Paul's Church in Paget, after a Bahá'í memorial service held at the church hall.

Recognition, awards and legacy

In 1994, Burland was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Bermuda Arts Council.

In 2001, the Bermudian government’s Department of Community and Cultural Affairs started the Bermuda Literary Awards. Burland received the Founder’s Award and the prize for Children’s and Young Adult Fiction. In 2007, the fiction award was renamed the Brian Burland Prize for Fiction.

After Burland’s death, his family gave a collection of his original manuscripts, unpublished novels, poems, journals, letters, and paintings to Bermuda College for educational use. On May 9, 2013, the Brian Burland Centre for Research was officially opened at Bermuda College. The Centre is focused on keeping and sharing Burland’s works and supporting young Bermudian writers. It includes a mural created by Bermudian artist Graham Foster, which shows scenes from four of Burland’s novels: The Sailor and the Fox, Flight of the Cavalier, A Fall From Aloft, and Stephen Decatur, the Devil and the Endymion.

A special course about Brian Burland’s work will be taught at Bermuda College. Angela Barry of the Burland Collection Committee called him "the greatest writer never to be known or acknowledged in the country of his birth."