Robèrt Lafont
Encyclopedia
Robèrt Lafont (March 16, 1923, Nîmes
- June 24, 2009, Florence
) was an Occitan intellectual
from Provence
. He was a linguist
, an author, an historian, an expert in literature and a political theoretician. His name in French
reads Robert Lafont.
at the Paul-Valéry
University of Montpellier
. A professional linguist, he was a polyglot
, novelist, poet, playwright, essayist and a medievalist
. A versatile writer, Lafont wrote nearly a hundred books in Occitan, French, Catalan
and Italian
. The wide scope of themes he explores includes the history of literature and of society, linguistics and sociolinguistics
and the social-economic imbalance in France
and Europe
.
In the essays he wrote in French, Robèrt Lafont tackles the problems encountered not only by the people of Occitania but also the various minorities struggling for official recognition under French rule, such as Bretons
, Catalans
, Basques
, Corsica
ns or Alsatians
among others. Lafont is a key figure in the analysis of internal colonialism
, as far as lo País
is concerned. On the other hand, the Occitan side of his works stands out as a revolutionary change in the literary production in la lenga nòstra, inasmuch as it completely breaks off with the more usual tradition of folklore and tales.
Robèrt Lafont founded the Occitan Committee for Study and Action (COEA) and ran a number of reviews, most notably L'Ase negre (The Black Donkey) in 1946 and Viure (Live) in 1962. He also produced and sponsored social theatre. He became the chairman of the Institut d'Estudis Occitans
but left in 1981 following internal disagreements with Ives Roqueta
in particular. In 1974, he claimed to be interested in running for French presidency but never managed to meet the legal prerequisites.
Nîmes
Nîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
- June 24, 2009, Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
) was an Occitan intellectual
Intellectual
An intellectual is a person who uses intelligence and critical or analytical reasoning in either a professional or a personal capacity.- Terminology and endeavours :"Intellectual" can denote four types of persons:...
from Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
. He was a linguist
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, an author, an historian, an expert in literature and a political theoretician. His name 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...
reads Robert Lafont.
Biography
Robèrt Lafont was professor emeritusEmeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
at the Paul-Valéry
Paul Valéry
Ambroise-Paul-Toussaint-Jules Valéry was a French poet, essayist, and philosopher. His interests were sufficiently broad that he can be classified as a polymath...
University of Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
. A professional linguist, he was a polyglot
Polyglot (person)
A polyglot is someone with a high degree of proficiency in several languages. A bilingual person can speak two languages fluently, whereas a trilingual three; above that the term multilingual may be used.-Hyperpolyglot:...
, novelist, poet, playwright, essayist and a medievalist
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. A versatile writer, Lafont wrote nearly a hundred books in Occitan, French, Catalan
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
. The wide scope of themes he explores includes the history of literature and of society, linguistics and sociolinguistics
Sociolinguistics
Sociolinguistics is the descriptive study of the effect of any and all aspects of society, including cultural norms, expectations, and context, on the way language is used, and the effects of language use on society...
and the social-economic imbalance in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
In the essays he wrote in French, Robèrt Lafont tackles the problems encountered not only by the people of Occitania but also the various minorities struggling for official recognition under French rule, such as Bretons
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, Catalans
Principality of Catalonia
The Principality of Catalonia , is a historic territory in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula, mostly in Spain and with an adjoining portion in southern France....
, Basques
Basque Country (historical territory)
The Basque Country is the name given to the home of the Basque people in the western Pyrenees that spans the border between France and Spain on the Atlantic coast....
, Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
ns or Alsatians
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
among others. Lafont is a key figure in the analysis of internal colonialism
Internal colonialism
Internal colonialism is a notion of structural political and economic inequalities between regions within a nation state. The term is used to describe the uneven effects of economic development on a regional basis, otherwise known as "uneven development", and to describe the exploitation of...
, as far as lo País
Occitania
Occitania , also sometimes lo País d'Òc, "the Oc Country"), is the region in southern Europe where Occitan was historically the main language spoken, and where it is sometimes still used, for the most part as a second language...
is concerned. On the other hand, the Occitan side of his works stands out as a revolutionary change in the literary production in la lenga nòstra, inasmuch as it completely breaks off with the more usual tradition of folklore and tales.
Robèrt Lafont founded the Occitan Committee for Study and Action (COEA) and ran a number of reviews, most notably L'Ase negre (The Black Donkey) in 1946 and Viure (Live) in 1962. He also produced and sponsored social theatre. He became the chairman of the Institut d'Estudis Occitans
Institut d'Estudis Occitans
The Institut d'Estudis Occitans , or IEO, or Occitan Studies Institute, or Institute for Occitan Studies, is a cultural association that was founded in 1945 by a group of Occitan and French writers including Jean Cassou, Tristan Tzara, Ismaël Girard, Max Roqueta, Renat Nelli, and Pierre Rouquette...
but left in 1981 following internal disagreements with Ives Roqueta
Ives Roqueta
Ives Roqueta is an Occitan author. For a long time now, Roqueta has played a major role in the country's political and cultural movement. He was the president of the IEO for a number of years and his brother Joan, better known as Joan Larzac, is a writer and an Occitan activist as well...
in particular. In 1974, he claimed to be interested in running for French presidency but never managed to meet the legal prerequisites.
Poetry
- Dire (1945-53) (Tell)
- La Loba (1959) (The She-Wolf)
- Poèma a l'estrangièra (1960) (A Poem to the Foreign Girl)
- Aire liure (1974) (Open Air)
- Lausa per un solèu mòrt e reviudat (1984) (A Slate for a Dead Sun Born Again)
Prose
- Vida de Joan Larsinhac (The Life of Joan Larsinhac) (1951) http://www.up.univ-mrs.fr/tresoc/libre/integral/libr0042.pdf
- L'Icòna dins l'iscla (1971) (The Icon on the Island) http://www.up.univ-mrs.fr/tresoc/libre/integral/libr0134.pdf
- Lo Decameronet (1983) (The Little Decameron) http://www.up.univ-mrs.fr/tresoc/libre/integral/libr0174.pdf
- La Fèsta (1983-84), (The Party) Lo Cavalier de març (The March Rider) & Lo Libre de Joan (The Book of Joan)
- L'Enclaus (1992) (The Enclosure)
Drama
- Dòm Esquichòte (1973) (Don Quixote)
- Lei Cascavèus (1977) (The Male Genitals)
- La Croisade (1983) (The Crusade), in French
Essays in French
- La Révolution régionaliste (The Regionalist Revolution) (1967)
- Sur la France (On FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) (1968) - Décoloniser en France (Decolonizing France) (1971)
- Le Travail et la langue (Working & the Language) (1978)
- Nous, Peuple Européen (We European People) (1991)
- La Nation, l'État, les Régions (Nation, State & Regions) (1993)