Mauritian literature
Encyclopedia
Mauritian
literature is more than two centuries old. The island of Mauritius is home to many languages, and Mauritian literature exists in French
, English
, Creole
and Indian languages. Major themes in Mauritian literature include exoticism
, multiracialism
and miscegenation
, racial and social conflicts, indianocéanisme
, and--more recently--post-modernism and post-structuralism
currents, such as coolitude.
After independence in 1968 writers like Azize Asgarally and Dev Virahsawmy
reactivated creole language, then considered as a "patois," and wrote literature, especially drama. The new generation of writers has expressed persistent concern with structure and more global themes.
While Kreol Morisyen
is the most spoken language on in Mauritius, most of the literature is written in French
, although many authors write in English
, Bhojpuri, and Morisyen
, and others such as Abhimanyu Unnuth in Hindi
. Mauritius's renowned playwright Dev Virahsawmy
writes exclusively in Morisyen.
Important authors include Malcolm de Chazal
, Ananda Devi, Raymond Chasle, Loys Masson, Marcel Cabon, and Edouard Maunick
. Lindsey Collen
has been able to carve out a meeting of imaginaries in the unique social setup of this multi-faceted country. Other younger writers like Shenaz Patel, Amal Sewtohul, Natacha Appanah, Alain Gordon-Gentil and Carl de Souza explore the issues of ethnicity, superstition and politics in the novel. Poet and critic Khal Torabully
has put forward the concept of "coolitude," a poetics that results from the blend of Indian and Mauritian cultural diversity. Other poets include Hassam Wachill, Edouard Maunick, Sedley Assone, Yusuf Kadel and Umar Timol.
The island plays host to the covetable Le Prince Maurice Prize, a literary award celebrating and recognizing 'writers of the heart'. The award is designed to highlight the literary love story in all its forms rather than for pure Romantic Fiction. In keeping with the island's literary culture the prize alternates on a yearly basis between English-speaking and French-speaking writers.
English language:
Bhojpuri:
Creole
:
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
literature is more than two centuries old. The island of Mauritius is home to many languages, and Mauritian literature exists in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Creole
Creole language
A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable natural language developed from the mixing of parent languages; creoles differ from pidgins in that they have been nativized by children as their primary language, making them have features of natural languages that are normally missing from...
and Indian languages. Major themes in Mauritian literature include exoticism
Exoticism
Exoticism is a trend in art and design, influenced by some ethnic groups or civilizations since the late 19th-century. In music exoticism is a genre in which the rhythms, melodies, or instrumentation are designed to evoke the atmosphere of far-off lands or ancient times Exoticism (from 'exotic')...
, multiracialism
Multiracialism
Multiracialism is a concept or ideology that promotes a society composed of various races, while accepting and respecting different cultural backgrounds...
and miscegenation
Miscegenation
Miscegenation is the mixing of different racial groups through marriage, cohabitation, sexual relations, and procreation....
, racial and social conflicts, indianocéanisme
Indianocéanisme
Indianocéanisme is a humanist ideology from the southwest Indian Ocean region. The term was coined by the Mauritian Camille de Rauville during the founding conference of the International Historical Association of the Indian Ocean in 1960 in Tananarive...
, and--more recently--post-modernism and post-structuralism
Post-structuralism
Post-structuralism is a label formulated by American academics to denote the heterogeneous works of a series of French intellectuals who came to international prominence in the 1960s and '70s...
currents, such as coolitude.
After independence in 1968 writers like Azize Asgarally and Dev Virahsawmy
Dev Virahsawmy
Dev Virahsawmy , is a politician, playwright, poet and advocate of the Mauritian Creole language.-Early life:...
reactivated creole language, then considered as a "patois," and wrote literature, especially drama. The new generation of writers has expressed persistent concern with structure and more global themes.
While Kreol Morisyen
Mauritian Creole
Mauritian Creole is a French-based creole language spoken in Mauritius. In addition to the French base of the language, there are also some words from English and from the many African and Asian languages that have been spoken on the island.- Sociolinguistic Situation :Mauritian Creole is the...
is the most spoken language on in Mauritius, most of the literature is written in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, although many authors write in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Bhojpuri, and Morisyen
Mauritian Creole
Mauritian Creole is a French-based creole language spoken in Mauritius. In addition to the French base of the language, there are also some words from English and from the many African and Asian languages that have been spoken on the island.- Sociolinguistic Situation :Mauritian Creole is the...
, and others such as Abhimanyu Unnuth in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
. Mauritius's renowned playwright Dev Virahsawmy
Dev Virahsawmy
Dev Virahsawmy , is a politician, playwright, poet and advocate of the Mauritian Creole language.-Early life:...
writes exclusively in Morisyen.
Important authors include Malcolm de Chazal
Malcolm de Chazal
Malcolm de Chazal was a Mauritian writer, painter, and visionary, known especially for his Sens-Plastique, a work consisting of several thousand aphorisms and pensées. He was born in Vacoas of a French family long established in Mauritius and wrote all his works in French...
, Ananda Devi, Raymond Chasle, Loys Masson, Marcel Cabon, and Edouard Maunick
Edouard Maunick
Edouard Joseph Marc Maunick is a Mauritian, African poet, critic, and translator.Maunick is a métis or mulatto, and as such was the subject of discrimination from both blacks and whites. He worked briefly as a librarian in Port-Louis before going to Paris in 1960, where he wrote, lectured, and...
. Lindsey Collen
Lindsey Collen
Lindsey Collen is a Mauritian novelist, and activist.She won the 1994 and 2005 Commonwealth Writers' Prize, Best Book, Africa.Her work has appeared in the New Internationalist....
has been able to carve out a meeting of imaginaries in the unique social setup of this multi-faceted country. Other younger writers like Shenaz Patel, Amal Sewtohul, Natacha Appanah, Alain Gordon-Gentil and Carl de Souza explore the issues of ethnicity, superstition and politics in the novel. Poet and critic Khal Torabully
Khal Torabully
Khal Torabully is a Mauritian and French poet, who has coined the concept of "coolitude." Born in Mauritius in 1956, in the capital city Port Louis, his father was a Trinidadian sailor and his mother was a descendant of migrants from India and Malaysia....
has put forward the concept of "coolitude," a poetics that results from the blend of Indian and Mauritian cultural diversity. Other poets include Hassam Wachill, Edouard Maunick, Sedley Assone, Yusuf Kadel and Umar Timol.
The island plays host to the covetable Le Prince Maurice Prize, a literary award celebrating and recognizing 'writers of the heart'. The award is designed to highlight the literary love story in all its forms rather than for pure Romantic Fiction. In keeping with the island's literary culture the prize alternates on a yearly basis between English-speaking and French-speaking writers.
Notable writers
French language:- Léoville L'Homme
- Robert Edward-Hart
- René Noyau
- Jean-Georges Prosper
- Marcel Cabon
- Emmanuel Juste
- Raymond Chasle
- Marie-Thérèse Humbert
- Loys Masson
- Malcolm de ChazalMalcolm de ChazalMalcolm de Chazal was a Mauritian writer, painter, and visionary, known especially for his Sens-Plastique, a work consisting of several thousand aphorisms and pensées. He was born in Vacoas of a French family long established in Mauritius and wrote all his works in French...
- Hassam Wachill
- Ananda Devi
- Natacha Appanah
- Barlen Pyamootoo
- Shenaz Patel
- Khal TorabullyKhal TorabullyKhal Torabully is a Mauritian and French poet, who has coined the concept of "coolitude." Born in Mauritius in 1956, in the capital city Port Louis, his father was a Trinidadian sailor and his mother was a descendant of migrants from India and Malaysia....
English language:
- Shakuntala Hawaldar
- Hassan Heerah
- Régis Fanchette
Bhojpuri:
- Abhimanyu Unnuth
Creole
Creole
- Languages :A Creole language is a stable, full-fledged language that originated from a pidgin or combination of other languages.Creole languages subgroups may include:* Arabic-based creole languages* Dutch-based creole languages...
:
- Azize Asgarally
- Dev VirahsawmyDev VirahsawmyDev Virahsawmy , is a politician, playwright, poet and advocate of the Mauritian Creole language.-Early life:...
See also
- Culture of MauritiusCulture of MauritiusThe culture of Mauritius involves the blending of several cultures from Mauritius' history, as well as individual culture arising indigenously.- Mauritian public holidays and festivals :...
- Indian Ocean literatureIndian Ocean literatureThe Indian Ocean is home to many literary texts, from Greco-Roman times to the Thousand and One nights, the matrix of many narratives, which portrays Sinbad the Merchant, through a fantastic and popular twist of the mind, however based on real details of navigation in this first ocean of...