The island of Mauritius is home to many languages, and Mauritian literature exists in

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, Creole and Indian languages. Major themes in Mauritian literature include

exoticism Exoticism (from "exotic") is a trend in European art and design, whereby artists became fascinated with ideas and styles from distant regions and drew inspiration from them. This often involved surrounding foreign cultures with mystique and fantas ...

multiracialism Multiracialism is a conceptual framework used to theorize and interpret identity formation in global multiracial populations. Multiracialism explores the tendency for multiracial individuals to identify with a third category of 'mixed-ness' as op ...

and

miscegenation Miscegenation ( ) is the interbreeding of people who are considered to be members of different races. The word, now usually considered pejorative, is derived from a combination of the Latin terms ''miscere'' ("to mix") and ''genus'' ("race") ...

, racial and social conflicts, '' indianocéanisme'', and—more recently—

post-modernism Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or Rhetorical modes, mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by philosophical skepticism, skepticis ...

and

post-structuralism Post-structuralism is a term for philosophical and literary forms of theory that both build upon and reject ideas established by structuralism, the intellectual project that preceded it. Though post-structuralists all present different critique ...

currents, such as ''

coolitude Khal Torabully is a Mauritian poet. 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 Malaya. Work Khal Torabully left for Lyon in 1976, t ...

''. After independence in 1968 writers like

Dev Virahsawmy Dev Virahsawmy (born 1942 in Quartier-Militaire, Mauritius), is a politician, playwright, poet and advocate of the Mauritian Creole language. Though he writes easily in both French and English, Virahsawmy is most renowned for his efforts to popula ...

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

, although many authors write in

Bhojpuri Bhojpuri (;Bhojpuri entry, Oxford Dictionaries
, Oxford U ...

, and Morisyen. Mauritius's renowned playwright

writes exclusively in Morisyen. Important authors include

Malcolm de Chazal Malcolm de Chazal (12 September 1902 – 1 October 1981) was a Mauritian writer, painter, and visionary, known especially for his ''Sens-Plastique'', a work consisting of several thousand aphorisms and pensées. Early life and education Chazal ...

Ananda Devi Ananda Devi Nirsimloo-Anenden, also known as Ananda Devi, (born March 23, 1957) is a Mauritian writer. Biography Ananda Devi Nirsimloo was born the village of Trois-Boutiques, Grand Port District, Mauritius. Her father Balgopal and her mother Sar ...

, Raymond Chasle, 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, 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 is a Mauritian poet. 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 Malaya. Work Khal Torabully left for Lyon in 1976, t ...

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.

J. M. G. Le Clézio Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio (; 13 April 1940), usually identified as J. M. G. Le Clézio, of French and Mauritian nationality, is a writer and professor. The author of over forty works, he was awarded the 1963 Prix Renaudot for his novel ''Le P ...

, who won the

Nobel Prize for Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

in 2008, is of Mauritian heritage and holds dual French-Mauritian citizenship. The island plays host to the 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: *

Aqiil Gopee Aqiil Gopee (born 22 June 1997) is a Mauritian writer and poet. His first book, La Pièce, was published in April 2012 by Edilivre Paris, after reception of a jury mention in the Prix du Livre d'Or 2011 competition organised by the Municipal ...

Marie-Thérèse Humbert Marie-Thérèse Humbert (born July 17, 1940) is a Mauritian writer. She is a recipient of the Grand prix des lectrices de Elle. Biography She was born in Quatre Bornes and was educated at Cambridge University and the Sorbonne. She moved to France ...

Marie Leblanc Marie Leblanc (1867–August 14, 1915) is a Mauritian writer, best known for her work as an editor of literary journals and other periodicals, as a novelist, and as a translator. Early life Marie Leblanc was born in 1867, during a period when Mau ...

Shenaz Patel Shenaz Patel (born July 29, 1966) is a Mauritian writer. Early life and education She was born in the town of Rose Hill, Mauritius and writes in both French and Mauritian Creole. She did her secondary studies at Lycée La Bourdonnais. Subsequentl ...

Amal Sewtohul Amal may refer to: * Amal (given name) * Åmål, a small town in Sweden * Amal Movement, a Lebanese political party ** Amal Militia, Amal Movement's defunct militia * Amal language of Papua New Guinea * ''Amal'' (film), 2007, directed by Richie ...

;English language: * Vinod Busjeet * Lindsey Collen * Natasha Soobramanien
Ariel Saramandi
; Creole * Azize Asgarally *

References

{{Mauritius-stub

Notable writers

See also

References