member of the Caribbean Studies Association and the Society for Caribbean Studies. His own poetry "reflects his origins as a Jamaican of [Hispanic] descent and a Catholic who, whilst deeply committed to the Caribbean, was concerned to maintain [the diversity of its] heritage without apology. He insisted that drums were not the only Caribbean musical instrument (no doubt a dig at Kamau Brathwaite) and championed Derek Walcott's relationship to the classical and European literary tradition. Ironically, one of Figueroa's most effective poems is in Nation language." In the words of Andrew Salkey, "The phrase 'cosmopolitan poet' does not really adequately describe him or the impact that he has had on Anglophone Caribbean poetry, but it certainly goes some way in defining a part of his concern in not being tagged as regional or provincial. This is so because he is absolutely free from national limitations." The influence of classical poets like Horace, Virgil and Sappho is balanced by his linguistic attention to Jamaican speech and Trinidadian calypso music. Archives Figueroa's papers were donated by his daughter to the University of the West Indies at Mona and are housed in two collections: one at the UWI Archive, the other at the West Indies Collection at the Library. Works Blue Mountain Peak: Poetry & Prose (privately published, Jamaica, 1944). Love Leaps Here (privately published, UK, 1962). Ignoring Hurts (Three Continents Press, Washington, 1976) The Chase: A Collection of Poems 1941–1989 (Peepal Tree Press, 1991) As editor: Caribbean Voices, vol. 1: Dreams and Visions (1966) and vol. 2, The Blue Horizons. Further reading Daryl Cumber Dance (ed.), Fifty Caribbean Writers: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1986, pp. 178–84. See also Caribbean poetry Caribbean literature References External links List of notable reviews of Figueroa's work. Pamela Beshoff, "Obituary: John Figueroa", The Independent, 11 March 1999. Erika J. Waters, "Interview with John J. M. Figueroa", The Caribbean Writer. 20th-century Jamaican poets Jamaican male poets Latin Americanists University of the West Indies academics 1920 births 1999 deaths Alumni of the University of London Academic staff of the University of Jos Jamaican expatriates in Nigeria People from Kingston, Jamaica Recipients of the Musgrave Medal 20th-century male writers Jamaican expatriates in the United Kingdom Jamaican expatriates in the United States