Maryse Condé
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Maryse Condé (née Marise Liliane Appoline Boucolon; 11 February 1934 – 2 April 2024) was a French novelist, critic, and playwright from the French Overseas department and
region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
of
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...
. She was also an academic, whose teaching career took her to West Africa and North America, as well as the Caribbean and Europe. As a writer, Condé is best known for her novel ''
Ségou Ségou (; , ) is a town and an Communes of Mali, urban commune in south-central Mali that lies northeast of Bamako on the right bank of the River Niger. The town is the capital of the Ségou Cercle and the Ségou Region. With 130,690 inhabitant ...
'' (1984–1985). Condé's writings explore the
African diaspora The African diaspora is the worldwide collection of communities descended from List of ethnic groups of Africa, people from Africa. The term most commonly refers to the descendants of the native West Africa, West and Central Africans who were ...
that resulted from
slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
and
colonialism Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an Imperialism, imperialist project, colonialism c ...
in the
Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
. Her novels, written in French, have been translated into English, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese. She won various awards, such as the Grand Prix Littéraire de la Femme (1986), Prix de l'Académie française (1988), Prix Carbet de la Caraïbe (1997)"Author Profile: Maryse Condé"
. ''World Literature Today'' (September–December 2004), 78 (3/4), p. 27.
and the
New Academy Prize in Literature New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
(2018) for her works. She was considered a strong contender for the
Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...
.


Early life

Born in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, on 11 February 1934, she was the youngest of eight children. Her parents were among the first black instructors in Guadeloupe. Her mother, Jeanne Quidal (who was from
Marie-Galante Marie-Galante (, or ) is one of the dependencies of Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France. Marie-Galante has a land area of . It had 11,528 inhabitants at the start of 2013, but by the start of 2018 the total was officially estimated to ...
, which island would often feature in Condé's creative writing), directed her own school for girls. Her father, Auguste Boucolon – previously an educator – founded the small bank "La Caisse Coopérative des prêts", which was later renamed "La Banque Antillaise." Condé's father, Auguste Boucolon, had two sons from his first marriage: Serge and Albert. Condé's three sisters were Ena, Jeanne, and Gillette, and her brothers were Auguste, Jean, René, and Guy. Condé was born 11 years after Guy, when her mother was 43, and her father 63. Condé described herself as "the spoiled child", which she attributed to her parents' older age, as well as the age-gap between her and her siblings. Condé began writing at an early age. Before she was 12 years old, she had written a one-act, one-person play. The play was written as a gift for her mother's birthday. After having graduated from high school, Condé attended Lycée Fénelon from 1953 to 1955, being expelled after two years of attendance. She furthered her studies at the Université de Paris III ( Sorbonne Nouvelle) in Paris. During her attendance, along with other West Indians, Condé established the Luis-Carlos Prestes club.


Career

In 1958, Condé attended a rehearsal in Paris of '' Les Nègres/The Blacks'' by
Jean Genet Jean Genet (; ; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels '' The Th ...
, where she met the
Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...
n actor Mamadou Condé. In August 1958, she married Mamadou Condé. They eventually had three children together before separating in 1969 (Condé already had one child from Haitian journalist Jean Dominique). By November 1959, the couple's relationship had already become strained, and Condé decided to go alone to the
Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...
, where she taught for a year in
Bingerville Bingerville is a town in south-eastern Ivory Coast. It is a suburb of Abidjan city and one of four sub-prefectures of Abidjan Autonomous District. Bingerville is also a commune. The town is located about 10 kilometres east of Abidjan and lies ...
. During her returns to Guinea for the holidays, she became politically conscious through a group of
Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...
friends, who would influence her to move to
Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
. It was for her a turbulent but formative time that she would later chronicle in her 2012 book ''La Vie sans fards'' (''What Is Africa to Me? Fragments of a True-to-Life Autobiography''), as in the recently independent West African countries she rubbed shoulders with the likes of
Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American revolutionary, Islam in the United States, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figur ...
,
Che Guevara Ernesto "Che" Guevara (14th May 1928 – 9 October 1967) was an Argentines, Argentine Communist revolution, Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and Military theory, military theorist. A majo ...
,
Julius Nyerere Julius Kambarage Nyerere (; 13 April 1922 – 14 October 1999) was a Tanzanian politician, anti-colonial activist, and political theorist. He governed Tanganyika (1961–1964), Tanganyika as prime minister from 1961 to 1962 and then as presid ...
and
Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credi ...
. Between the years 1960 and 1972, she taught in Guinea, Ghana and
Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...
. While in Ghana, she edited a collection of francophone African literature, ''Anthologie de la literature africaine d'expression française'' (Ghana Institute of Languages, 1966). However, she became disillusioned with being "witness to many contradictory events", and accusations against her of suspected subversive activity resulted in Condé's deportation from Ghana. After leaving West Africa, she worked in London as a
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
producer for two years. Then in 1973, she returned to Paris and taught
Francophone literature Francophone literature is literature written in the French language. The existence of a plurality of literatures in the French language has been recognised, although the autonomy of these literatures is less defined than the plurality of liter ...
at Paris VII (Jussieu), X (Nanterre), and Ill (Sorbonne Nouvelle). In 1975, she completed her M.A. and Ph.D. at the Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris in comparative literature, examining black stereotypes in Caribbean literature.Rebecca Wolff, Interview
"Maryse Condé"
, ''Bomb Magazine,'' Vol. 68, Summer 1999. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
She was the author of works of criticism that included ''Le profil d'une oeuvre'' (Hatier, 1978), ''La Civilisation du Bossale'' (L'Harmattan, 1978), and ''La Parole des femmes'' (L'Harmattan, 1979). In 1981, she and Condé divorced, having long been separated. The following year, she married Richard Philcox, an Englishman and the English-language translator of most of her novels. She did not publish her first novel, ''Hérémakhonon,'' until she was nearly 40, as " hedidn't have confidence in erselfand did not dare present erwriting to the outside world." Her second novel, ''Une saison à Rihata'', was published in 1981; however, Condé would not reach prominence as a contemporary Caribbean writer until the publication of her third novel, ''Ségou'' (1984). Following the success of ''
Ségou Ségou (; , ) is a town and an Communes of Mali, urban commune in south-central Mali that lies northeast of Bamako on the right bank of the River Niger. The town is the capital of the Ségou Cercle and the Ségou Region. With 130,690 inhabitant ...
'', in 1985, Condé was awarded a
Fulbright scholarship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...
to the United States to teach "Literature and Culture of the Caribbean" at
Occidental College Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is ...
,
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
(September 1985–May 1986). In 1987, she was a
Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller (" ...
Bellagio writer-in-residence, and she was also awarded a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. In 1991, her play ''The Hills of Massabielle'' was staged in New York at the Ubu Repertory Theater. She was included in the 1992 anthology ''
Daughters of Africa ''Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent from the Ancient Egyptian to the Present'' is a compilation of orature and literature by more than 200 women from Africa and the African diaspora ...
'', edited by
Margaret Busby Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's then youngest publisher as well as the first black female book p ...
. In 1995, Condé became a professor of French and Francophone literature at
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
in New York City, where she was subsequently professor emerita. Condé taught at various universities, including the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
;
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
, the Sorbonne, the
University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...
, and the University of Nanterre. She retired from teaching in 2005. She is the subject of the 2011 documentary film ''Maryse Condé, une voix singulière'', directed by Jérôme Sesquin, which retraces her life. In 2011, Collège Maryse-Condé on the island of
La Désirade La Désirade (; or ) is an island in the French West Indies, in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean. It forms part of Guadeloupe, an Overseas region, overseas regions of France, region of France. History Archaeological evidence has been disc ...
was inaugurated in her honour.


Death

Condé died in
Apt, Vaucluse Apt (; Provençal dialect, Provençal Occitan language, Occitan: ''At / Ate'' in both classical and Mistralian norms) is a Communes of France, commune in the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of ...
, southeastern France, on 2 April 2024, at the age of 90.


Literary significance

Condé's novels explore racial, gender, and cultural issues in a variety of historical eras and locales, including the Salem witch trials in '' I, Tituba: Black Witch of Salem'' (1986); the 19th-century Bambara Empire of
Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...
in ''
Ségou Ségou (; , ) is a town and an Communes of Mali, urban commune in south-central Mali that lies northeast of Bamako on the right bank of the River Niger. The town is the capital of the Ségou Cercle and the Ségou Region. With 130,690 inhabitant ...
'' (1984–1985); and the 20th-century building of the
Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...
and its influence on increasing the West Indian middle class in ''
Tree of Life The tree of life is a fundamental archetype in many of the world's mythology, mythological, religion, religious, and philosophy, philosophical traditions. It is closely related to the concept of the sacred tree.Giovino, Mariana (2007). ''The ...
'' (1987). Her novels trace the relationships between African peoples and the diaspora, especially the Caribbean. As Louise Hardwick observes, "Cosmopolitan in nature, Condé’s literature tackles the complexities of a globalised world in an unmistakably frank voice. She rejected attempts to pigeonhole her style, or labels describing her as a French or Creole writer," and she was often quoted as stating: "I write in Maryse Condé." Her first novel, ''Hérémakhonon'' (in the
Malinke language Maninka (also known as Malinke), or more precisely Eastern Maninka, is the name of several closely related languages and dialects of the southeastern Manding subgroup of the Mande language family (itself, possibly linked to the Niger–Congo ...
, the title means "waiting for happiness"), was published in 1976. It was so controversial that it was pulled from the shelves after six months because of its criticism over the success of
African socialism African socialism is a distinct variant of socialist theory developed in post-colonial Africa during the mid-20th century. As a shared ideological project among several African thinkers over the decades, it encompasses a variety of competing inte ...
. While the story closely parallels Condé's own life during her first stay in Guinea, and is written as a first-person narrative, she stressed that it is not an autobiography.Lionnet, F. (1989)
"Happiness Deferred: Maryse Condé's ''Heremakhonon'' and the Failure of Enunciation"
. In ''Autobiographical Voices: Race, Gender, Self-Portraiture'' (pp. 167–190). Ithaca; London: Cornell University Press.
The book is the story, as she described it, of an anti-moi', an ambiguous persona whose search for identity and origins is characterized by a rebellious form of sexual libertinage". Condé kept considerable distance from most Caribbean literary movements, such as
Négritude ''Négritude'' (from French "nègre" and "-itude" to denote a condition that can be translated as "Blackness") is a framework of critique and literary theory, mainly developed by francophone intellectuals, writers, and politicians in the Africa ...
and Creolité, and often focused on topics with strong feminist and political concerns. A radical activist in her work as well as in her personal life, Condé admitted: "I could not write anything... unless it has a certain political significance. I have nothing else to offer that remains important." Her 1995 novel '' Windward Heights'' is a reworking of
Emily Brontë Emily Jane Brontë (, commonly ; 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English writer best known for her 1847 novel, ''Wuthering Heights''. She also co-authored a book of poetry with her sisters Charlotte Brontë, Charlotte and Anne Bront ...
's ''
Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is the only novel by the English author Emily Brontë, initially published in 1847 under her pen name "Ellis Bell". It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the ...
'' (1847), which Condé had first read at the age of 14. She had long wanted to create a work of her own around it, as an act of "homage". Condé's novel is set in Guadeloupe, and race and culture are featured as issues that divide people. Reflecting on how she drew from her Caribbean background in writing this book, she said:
"To be part of so many worldspart of the African world because of the African slaves, part of the European world because of the European educationis a kind of double entendre. You can use that in your own way and give sentences another meaning. I was so pleased when I was doing that work, because it was a game, a kind of perverse but joyful game."
Condé's later writings include the autobiographical ''Tales From the Heart: True Stories From My Childhood'' (1999), a collection of essays about her childhood, and ''Victoire'' (2006), a fictional biography of her maternal grandmother during a period when the black population of Guadeloupe asserted their rights to education and political power. ''Who Slashed Celanire's Throat'' (2000) was inspired by a true story and uses a blend of
magical realism Magical realism, magic realism, or marvelous realism is a style or genre of fiction and art that presents a realistic view of the world while incorporating magical elements, often blurring the lines between speculation and reality. ''Magical rea ...
and
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
in a novel about a woman who wants to uncover the truth of her past and avenge her childhood mutilation. The 2017 translation by Richard Philcox of Condé's ''What Is Africa to Me? Fragments of a True-to-Life Autobiography'' was described by Noo Saro-Wiwa in a review for ''
The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...
'' as "refreshingly frank ... an entertaining and occasionally humorous account of the twelve years the author spent in Africa during the late 1950s and 60s. ... and by the book's end the author concedes that she still doesn't know what Africa means to her – a brave admission in a world that hankers for defined narrative arcs." In 2018, Condé was awarded the
New Academy Prize in Literature New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
, established as a one-off alternative to the
Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...
(for which she was often considered a favourite but which was not awarded that year, as a consequence of a sexual abuse scandal among the award committee), with the jury praising Condé as a "grand storyteller whose authorship belongs to world literature, describing the ravages of colonialism and the postcolonial chaos in a language which is both precise and overwhelming." In 2022, she was honoured as one of 12
Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elect ...
International Writers, alongside
Anne Carson Anne Patricia Carson (born June 21, 1950) is a Canadian poet, essayist, translator, classicist, and professor. Trained at the University of Toronto, Carson has taught classics, comparative literature, and creative writing at universities across ...
, Tsitsi Dangarembga,
Cornelia Funke Cornelia Maria Funke (; born 10 December 1958) is a German author of children's fiction. Born in Dorsten, North Rhine-Westphalia, she began her career as a social worker before becoming a Book illustration, book illustrator. She began writing no ...
,
Mary Gaitskill Mary Gaitskill (born November 11, 1954) is an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. Her work has appeared in ''The New Yorker'', ''Harper's Magazine'', ''Esquire (magazine), Esquire'', ''The Best American Short Stories'' (1993, 20 ...
, Faïza Guène, Saidiya Hartman, Kim Hyesoon, Yōko Ogawa, Raja Shehadeh, Juan Gabriel Vásquez and Samar Yazbek. Condé's 2023 novel, '' The Gospel According to the New World'', was longlisted for the International Booker Prize and, at the age of 86, she was the oldest writer ever to be longlisted for the prize. The creation of the novel was by means of dictation to her husband and translator Richard Philcox, as she had a degenerative neurological disorder that made it difficult to speak and see. Together, they were the first wife-and-husband author-translator team to be longlisted, and subsequently shortlisted, for the award.


Archives

Maryse Condé's literary archives (Maryse Condé papers, 1979–2012) are held at
Columbia University Libraries Columbia University Libraries is the library system of Columbia University and one of the largest academic library systems in North America. With 15.0 million volumes and over 160,000 journals and serials, as well as extensive electronic resources ...
.


Selected bibliography


Novels


Plays

* ''An Tan Révolisyion'', published in 1991, first performed in Guadeloupe in 1989 * ''Comédie d'Amour'', first performed in Paris in 1993 * ''Dieu nous l'a donné'', published in 1972, first performed in Paris in 1973 * ''La Mort d'Oluwémi d'Ajumako'', published in 1973, first performed in 1974 in
Gabon Gabon ( ; ), officially the Gabonese Republic (), is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and ...
* ''Le Morne de Massabielle'', first version staged in 1974 in
Puteaux Puteaux () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the heart of the Hauts-de-Seine department, from the centre of Paris. La Défense, Paris's business district hosting the tallest buildings in the metropolitan ...
, France, later staged in English in New York as ''The Hills of Massabielle'' at the Ubu Repertory Theater (1991) * ''Les Sept voyages de Ti-Noël'' (written in collaboration with José Jernidier), first performed in Guadeloupe in 1987 * ''Pension les Alizés'', published in 1988, first staged in Guadeloupe and subsequently staged in New York as ''Tropical Breeze Hotel'' (1995) * ''Comme deux frères'' (2007). ''Like Two Brothers''.


Criticism and other non-fiction

* "Three Female Writers in Modern Africa : Flora Nwapa,
Ama Ata Aidoo Ama Ata Aidoo (23 March 1942 — 31 May 2023) was a Ghanaian author, poet, playwright, politician, and academic. She was a Secretary for Education in Ghana from 1982 to 1983 under Jerry Rawlings's PNDC administration. Her first play, '' The Dil ...
and Grace Ogot" (1972), '' Présence Africaine'', 82:132–143. * ''Le profil d'une oeuvre'', Hatier, 1978 * ''La Civilisation du Bossale: Réflexions sur la littérature orale de la Guadeloupe et de la Martinique'', Paris: L'Harmattan, 1978 * ''La Parole des femmes: Essai sur des romancières des Antilles de langue française.'', Paris: L'Harmattan, 1979 * ''Entretiens avec Maryse Condé'' (1993). ''Conversations with Maryse Condé'' (1996). Interviews with Françoise Pfaff. English translation includes a new chapter based on a 1994 interview. * "The Role of the Writer" (1993), ''
World Literature Today ''World Literature Today'' (''WLT'') is an American magazine of international literature and culture, published at the University of Oklahoma. The magazine's stated goal is to publish international essays, poetry, fiction, interviews, and book ...
'', 67(4): 697–699. * ''Le cœur à rire et à pleurer : souvenirs de mon enfance'' (1999). ''Tales From the Heart: True Stories From My Childhood'', trans. Richard Philcox (2001). * "Order, Disorder, Freedom, and the West Indian Writer" (2000), ''
Yale French Studies ''Yale French Studies'' is an academic journal published biannually by Yale University Press and connected with the French department at Yale University. It is the oldest English-language journal in the United States devoted to French and Francopho ...
'' 97: 151. * ''Victoire, les saveurs et les mots'' (2006). ''Victoire: My Mother's Mother'', trans. Richard Philcox (2006). * ''La Vie sans fards'' (2012). ''What Is Africa to Me? Fragments of a True-to-Life Autobiography'', trans. Richard Philcox (2017). * ''The Journey of a Caribbean Writer'' (2013). Collection of essays, trans. Richard Philcox. *''Mets et merveilles'' (2015). ''Of Morsels and Marvels'', trans. Richard Philcox (2015).


As editor

* ''Anthologie de la littérature africaine d'expression française''. Ghana Institute of Languages, 1966. * ''La Poésie antillaise''. Paris: Nathan, 1977. * ''Le Roman antillais''. Paris: Nathan, 1977. * ''Bouquet de voix pour Guy Tirolien'' (also contributor). Pointe-à-Pitre: Editions Jasor, 1990. * ''Caliban's Legacy'', special issue of ''Callaloo'' on literature of Guadeloupe and Martinique, 1992. * ''L'Heritage de Caliban'' (co-editor), essays on Francophone Caribbean literature. Pointe-à-Pitre: Editions Jasor, 1992. * ''Penser la Créolité''. Paris: Editions Karthala, 1995.


Awards and honours

* 1986: Le Grand Prix Littéraire de la Femme * 1987: Prix de l'Académie française (''La vie scélérate'') * 1988: Liberatur Prize (''Ségou'') * 1993: Puterbaugh Prize * 1997: Prix Carbet de la Caraibe (''Desirada'') * 1999:
Marguerite Yourcenar Marguerite Yourcenar (, ; ; born Marguerite Antoinette Jeanne Marie Ghislaine Cleenewerck de Crayencour; 8 June 190317 December 1987) was a Belgian-born French novelist and essayist who became a US citizen in 1947. Winner of the Prix Femina and ...
Prize (''Le coeur à rire et à pleurer'') * 1999: Lifetime Achievement Award from New York University's Africana Studies program * 2001: Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government * 2005: Hurston/Wright Legacy Award (''Who Slashed Celanire's Throat?'') * 2007: Prix Tropiques de l'Agence française de développement (''Victoire, les saveurs et les mots'') * 2008: Trophée des Arts Afro-Caribéens for ''Les Belles Ténébreuses''. ParisMaryse Condé
at Île en île.
* 2009: Trophée des Arts Afro-Caribéens for Lifetime Achievement. Paris * 2010: Grand prix du roman métis (''En attendant la montée des eaux'') * 2018:
New Academy Prize in Literature New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
* 2020: PEN Translates award for ''Waiting for the Waters to Rise'' * 2021:
Prix mondial Cino Del Duca The Prix mondial Cino Del Duca (Cino Del Duca World Prize) is an international literary award from France. With an award amount of , it is among the richest literary prizes. Origins and operations It was established in 1969 in France by French b ...
* 2021: PEN Translates award from
English PEN Founded in 1921, English PEN is one of the world's first non-governmental organisations and among the first international bodies advocating for human rights. English PEN was the founding centre of PEN International, a worldwide writers' associa ...
for ''The Gospel According to the New World'' * 2022:
Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elect ...
International Writer


See also

* Caribbean literature *
Postcolonial literature Postcolonial literature is the literature by people from formerly colonized countries, originating from all continents except Antarctica. Postcolonial literature often addresses the problems and consequences of the colonization and subsequent deco ...
* Negritude


References


Further reading

* Lee, Vanessa
''Four Caribbean Women Playwrights: Ina Césaire, Maryse Condé, Gerty Dambury and Suzanne Dracius''
(Palgrave Macmillan, 2021). * Perisic, Alexandra. ''Precarious Crossings: Immigration,
Neoliberalism Neoliberalism is a political and economic ideology that advocates for free-market capitalism, which became dominant in policy-making from the late 20th century onward. The term has multiple, competing definitions, and is most often used pe ...
, and the Atlantic'' (on Maryse Condé, Roberto Bolaño, Giannina Braschi, Caryl Phillips), 2019.


External links


Finding aid to Maryse Condé papers at Columbia University
Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
French Guadeloupe writer Maryse Condé reading from her work in the Recording Laboratory
24 September 1999 (Library of Congress). * *Mekkawi, Mohamed

Washington, D.C.: Howard University Libraries, 1990 (rev. 1992). *
Présentation du Fonds Maryse Condé de la Médiathèque Caraïbe (laméca), ouvrages issus de la bibliothèque privée de Maryse Condé

Maryse Condé recorded for the Archive of Literature from the Hispanic Division at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.D.
on 24 September 1999. * * * Mason Street
"An Interview with Maryse Condé"
''The Thornfield Review'', 31 July 2017. * Leïla Slimani (translated by Kim Willsher)
"'An extraordinary role model': Maryse Condé remembered by Leïla Slimani"
''The Guardian'', 3 April 2024. {{DEFAULTSORT:Conde, Maryse 1934 births 2024 deaths 20th-century French dramatists and playwrights 20th-century French essayists 20th-century French novelists 20th-century French women writers 21st-century French dramatists and playwrights 21st-century French essayists 21st-century French non-fiction writers 21st-century French novelists 21st-century French women writers Academic staff of the University of Paris Columbia University faculty Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres French historical novelists Guadeloupean novelists Guadeloupean women writers Grand Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite Knights of the Legion of Honour People from Pointe-à-Pitre Sorbonne Nouvelle University Paris 3 alumni University of California, Berkeley faculty University of California, Los Angeles faculty University of Virginia faculty Women anthologists Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period