Raphaël Confiant (born January 25, 1951) is a

Martinican Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...

writer known for his literary commitment towards Creole literature.

Life and career

Raphaël Confiant was born in

Le Lorrain Le Lorrain (; Martinican Creole: ) is a town and commune in the French overseas region and department of Martinique. Population Personalities *Raphaël Confiant *Jean Bernabé See also *Communes of the Martinique department The following is ...

, Martinique. He studied English and political science at the

Sciences Po Aix Sciences Po Aix, also referred to as Institut d'Études Politiques (IEP) d'Aix-en-Provence, is a '' Grande École'' of political studies located in Aix-en-Provence, in the South of France. It is associated with Aix-Marseille University and is par ...

and law at

Paul Cézanne University Paul Cézanne University (also referred to as Paul Cézanne University Aix-Marseille III; French: ''Université Paul Cézanne Aix-Marseille III'') was a public research university based in the heart of Provence (south east of France), in both Aix ...

Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. ...

, France. During the 1970s, Confiant became a militant proponent of use of the Creole language and later worked with

Jean Bernabé Jean Bernabé (1942 in Le Lorrain, Martinique – 12 April 2017 in Fort-De-France, Martinique) was a writer and linguist. Bernabé was a professor of language and culture at the Université des Antilles et de la Guyane. He was an important figure ...

and

Patrick Chamoiseau Patrick Chamoiseau (born 3 December 1953) is a French author from Martinique known for his work in the créolité movement. His work spans a variety of forms and genres, including novels, essays, children's books, screenplays, theatre and comics. ...

to create the movement. The three authors co-authored in 1989 the seminal text of the movement, (), in addition to other theoretical texts. The movement is often characterized as a reaction to the movement, which emphasized the African origins of the Antillean people. The 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 The Antilles (; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Antiy; es, Antillas; french: Antilles; nl, Antillen; ht, Antiy; pap, Antias; Jamaican Patois: ''Antiliiz'') is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mex ...

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 The University of the Antilles (), also known in English as the University of the French Antilles, is a French public university, located in the French West Indies. History It was previously part of a larger institution in combination with camp ...

(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, , set in Martinique during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The novel was welcomed by the French literary crowd as a new voice in French-language literature. Narrowly missing the

Goncourt Prize The Prix Goncourt (french: Le prix Goncourt, , ''The Goncourt Prize'') 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". The prize carries a symbolic reward o ...

in 1991 with his second French novel, , 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 or Mont Pelée ( ; french: Montagne Pelée, ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Montann Pèlé, meaning "bald mountain" or "peeled mountain") is an active volcano at the northern end of Martinique, an island and French overseas departm ...

eruption (with , published in 2002) or the 1854 arrival of East-Indian indentured servants (, 2004).

Bibliography

* In Creole: ** ''Jik dèyè do Bondyé'', short stories, 1979 ** ''Jou Baré'', poems, 1981 ** ''Bitako-a'', novel, 1985 ** ''Kòd Yanm'', novel, 1986 ** ''Marisosé'', novel, 1987 ** ''Dictionnaires des titim et sirandanes'', 1997 * In French: ** ''Le Nègre et l'Amiral'', novel, 1988, Prix Antigone ** ''Eloge de la créolité'', essay, 1989 (with

and

) ** ''Lettres créoles: tracées antillaises et continentales de la littérature (1635–1975)'', essay, 1991 ** ''Eau de Café'', novel 1991, Prix Novembre ** ''Ravines du devant-jour'', narration, 1993, Prix Casa de las Americas ** ''Commandeur du sucre'', narration, 1993 ** ''Aimé Césaire, une traversée paradoxale du siècle'', essay, 1993 ** ''L'Allée des Soupirs'', novel, 1994,

Prix Carbet de la Caraïbe et du Tout-Monde The Prix Carbet de la Caraïbe et du Tout-Monde (or, the Prix Carbet of the Caribbean and Tout-Monde) is an annual award given to the best literary work in French or French Creole from the Caribbean and the Americas. History The Prix Carbet ...

** ''Bassin des ouragans'', narration, 1994 ** ''Les maîtres de la parole créole'', story, 1995 ** ''Contes créoles'', story, 1995 ** ''Le Gouverneur des dés'', narration, 1995 ** ''Mamzelle Libellule'', novel, 1995 ** ''La Savane des pétrifications'', narration, 1995 ** ''La Vierge du Grand Retour'', novel, 1996 ** ''La baignoire de Joséphine'', narration, 1997 ** ''Le Meurtre de Samedi-Gloria'', novel, 1997,

Prix RFO du livre The prix RFO du livre was a French literary prize awarded annually from 1995 to 2010 by RFO to a Francophone work of fiction linked to French overseas departments and territories or surrounding geographical and geopolitical zones. List of reward ...

** ''L'archet du colonel'', novel, 1998 ** ''Régisseur du rhum'', narration, 1999 ** ''Le Cahier de Romance'', narration, 2000 ** ''Brin d'amour'', novel, 2001 ** ''Nuée ardente'', narration, 2002 ** ''La Panse du Chacal'', novel, 2004 ** ''Adele et la Pacotillieuse'', novel, 2005

References

*"Les principaux courants littéraires antillais.

Retrieved July 22, 2005. *Hazaël-Massieux, Marie-Christine. "Raphaël Confiant."

Retrieved July 23, 2005.

External links

* Curry, Ginette. "Toubab La!": Literary Representations of Mixed-race Characters in the African Diaspora.Cambridge Scholars Pub., Newcastle, England.200

Chains Deep in the Mind
{{DEFAULTSORT:Confiant 1951 births Living people People from Le Lorrain Martiniquais writers French people of Martiniquais descent French male writers Paul Cézanne University alumni Sciences Po Aix alumni Prix Décembre winners Créolité