A glowing review of Anne Hilton

Her range of tone and subject matter was wide. Sadly, with her death on Sunday at the age of 87, we must now mark the end of an era.

Few journalists ever become a household name. Hilton, a woman, did. She was read by many.

She wrote about the arts, books, music, food. Long before environmental issues became sexy thanks to Barack Obama and Al Gore, she was a pioneering columnist on the impact of man on his natural habitat. But if she commanded a devoted following, she also drew complaints from artists.

Hilton was definitely not into public relations (PR). Her reviews were often surprising and entertaining.

As a result, many serious artists complained. Her reviews, according to them, did not carry critical discourse — whatever that is — forward.

Yet, in one memorable response to a writer who objected to one of her reviews, Hilton laid bare what was at stake for her. “Everyone is entitled to express an opinion,” she said. “One must remember that whenever one puts one’s work in the public domain one has to expect criticism — be it for good or for bad.” When viewed from this prism, Hilton played an important role in furthering the idea of democracy in a young post-colonial society.

If one cannot freely air one’s views on art, regardless of one’s background or art-school pedigree, then how could that art really be part of a democratic tradition? If only academics and scholars can comment on art, where would that leave art? Whether you agreed with her or not, Anne Hilton said something. She was studious without being boring. And that alone was an achievement. Long before Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, she was social media. Literally. In her own way, she brought us closer to Habermas’ ideal of “communicative rationality”. Perhaps she knew that the more voices speaking about something, the richer a society becomes.

The public may not know it, but Hilton was also quietly encouraging of young reporters, especially feature writers. She would telephone them to let them know when they had done a good job covering something.

While the public saw a seemingly indefatigable byline, they rarely knew of the challenges Hilton had to face. It says something that it was only when she broke her hip about three years ago that Hilton stopped writing. She had been a non-stop presence in all of the major newspapers for decades. That says something. It indicates the writer had a stamina that is not to be dismissed.

Hilton also worked in radio and wrote important articles on diverse subject matters, including one on the threat to Aripo and another on the origins of calypso.

For her efforts, she won several awards, including from the Pan American Health Organisation, the Toco Foundation and, yes, the Hilton Trinidad. Her long career probably started due to the inspiration provided by her father who was a sports editor in one of the leading newspapers in England.

“Mommy wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps,” said daughter Penny Hilton. “So she always wanted to be a writer.” May she rest in peace.