Two Nobel Laureates

Saint Lucia has produced two Nobel laureates from a population of under two hundred thousand, which is the highest number per head of any sovereign country. Arthur Lewis won the economics prize in 1979 for work on development in poor countries, and Derek Walcott won the literature prize in 1992 for poetry and plays built on the island's landscape, its languages and the Homeric parallels he found in its fishermen. Both were born in Castries and, by coincidence, both in January. The square in the middle of Castries carries Walcott's name, and Nobel Laureate Week each January marks them both.

The main sights

• Derek Walcott Square - the centre of Castries, renamed for the poet.
• Walcott's Castries - the streets and harbour that fill Omeros.
• Arthur Lewis - the economist, commemorated at the community college.
• Nobel Laureate Week - each January, marking both birthdays.

When to go

Year-round for the square and the sites. Nobel Laureate Week in January brings lectures, readings and events. Walcott is buried at Morne Fortune above the city.

What to expect

There is no museum to either and very little to see physically; this is context rather than a site. The square holds a plaque and a tree. Reading Omeros or Walcott's shorter poems before a visit does more than any walking route. Nobel Laureate Week is a programme of talks rather than a spectacle.

Nearby

Castries centre and the market; Morne Fortune is above the city.