Raphaël Confiant
Encyclopedia
Raphaël Confiant is a Martinican
writer known for his literary commitment towards Creole literature.
, Martinique
. He studied English and Political Science at the University of Aix-Marseille
. During the 1970s, Confiant became a militant proponent of use of the Creole
language and later worked with Jean Bernabé
and Patrick Chamoiseau
to create the créolité
movement. The three authors co-authored the seminal text of the créolité movement, Eloge de la créolité (In Praise of Creoleness, 1989), in addition to other theoretical texts. The créolité movement is often characterized as a reaction to the Négritude
movement, which emphasized the African origins of the Antillean people. The créolité movement, on the other hand, emphasizes the diversity of Antillean ancestry and cultural heritage, which includes Chinese, Indian, and European influences, among others. The movement seeks to understand the diverse identities and histories of the people of the Antilles
through the lens of literature and language and eschews the universal in favor of a diverse view of language and identity.
Confiant is a well-known writer in both Creole and French and is currently a lecturer at the University of the French West Indies and Guiana (UAG).
After publishing his first novels in Creole and suffering very poor sales, Confiant took another approach in 1988 by publishing his first French-language novel, Le Nègre et l'Amiral, set in Martinique during World War II
. The novel was welcomed by the French literary crowd as a new voice in French-language literature. Narrowly missing the Goncourt Prize
in 1991 with his second French novel, Eau de Café, Confiant has ever since continued writing in French, even translating his first Creole-language novels. The themes of his last novels seem to be dictated by the anniversaries of French West Indian events like the 1902 Mount Pelée
eruption (with Nuée Ardente, published in 2002) or the 1854 arrival of East-Indian indentured servants (La Panse du Chacal, 2004).
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
writer known for his literary commitment towards Creole literature.
Biography
Raphaël Confiant was born in 1951 in Le LorrainLe Lorrain
Le Lorrain is a town and commune in the French overseas department of Martinique.-External links:*...
, Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
. He studied English and Political Science at the University of Aix-Marseille
University of Aix-Marseille
Aix-Marseille University is a public university in France created by the merger of the University of Provence, the University of the Mediterranean and the Paul Cézanne University...
. During the 1970s, Confiant became a militant proponent of use of the Creole
Antillean Creole
Antillean Creole is a creole language with a vocabulary based on French. It is spoken primarily in the Lesser Antilles. Its grammar and vocabulary also include elements of Carib and African languages. Antillean Creole is related to Haitian Creole, but has a number of distinctive features; they are...
language and later worked with Jean Bernabé
Jean Bernabé
Jean Bernabé is a writer and linguist.Bernabé is a professor of language and culture at the Université Antilles-Guyane...
and Patrick Chamoiseau
Patrick Chamoiseau
Patrick Chamoiseau is a French author from Martinique known for his work in the créolité movement.-Biography:Chamoiseau was born on December 3, 1953 in Fort-de-France, Martinique, where he currently resides. After he studied law in Paris he returned to Martinique inspired by Édouard Glissant to...
to create the créolité
Créolité
Créolité is a literary movement first developed in the 1980s by Martinican writers Patrick Chamoiseau, Jean Bernabé and Raphaël Confiant. The trio published Eloge de la créolité in 1989 as a response to the perceived inadequacies of the négritude movement...
movement. The three authors co-authored the seminal text of the créolité movement, Eloge de la créolité (In Praise of Creoleness, 1989), in addition to other theoretical texts. The créolité movement is often characterized as a reaction to the Négritude
Négritude
Négritude is a literary and ideological movement, developed by francophone black intellectuals, writers, and politiciansin France in the 1930s by a group that included the future Senegalese President Léopold Sédar Senghor, Martinican poet Aimé Césaire, and the Guianan Léon Damas.The Négritude...
movement, which emphasized the African origins of the Antillean people. The créolité movement, on the other hand, emphasizes the diversity of Antillean ancestry and cultural heritage, which includes Chinese, Indian, and European influences, among others. The movement seeks to understand the diverse identities and histories of the people of the Antilles
Antilles
The Antilles islands form the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. The Antilles are divided into two major groups: the "Greater Antilles" to the north and west, including the larger islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico; and the smaller "Lesser Antilles" on the...
through the lens of literature and language and eschews the universal in favor of a diverse view of language and identity.
Confiant is a well-known writer in both Creole and French and is currently a lecturer at the University of the French West Indies and Guiana (UAG).
After publishing his first novels in Creole and suffering very poor sales, Confiant took another approach in 1988 by publishing his first French-language novel, Le Nègre et l'Amiral, set in Martinique during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The novel was welcomed by the French literary crowd as a new voice in French-language literature. Narrowly missing the Goncourt Prize
Prix Goncourt
The Prix Goncourt is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year"...
in 1991 with his second French novel, Eau de Café, Confiant has ever since continued writing in French, even translating his first Creole-language novels. The themes of his last novels seem to be dictated by the anniversaries of French West Indian events like the 1902 Mount Pelée
Mount Pelée
Mount Pelée is an active volcano at the northern end of the island and French overseas department of Martinique in the Lesser Antilles island arc of the Caribbean. Its volcanic cone is composed of layers of volcanic ash and hardened lava....
eruption (with Nuée Ardente, published in 2002) or the 1854 arrival of East-Indian indentured servants (La Panse du Chacal, 2004).