Amélia Louisa Perchard (December 28, 1921 – July 19, 2012) was a writer, playwright, and poet in the

Bailiwick of Jersey A bailiwick () is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and once also applied to territories in which a privately appointed bailiff exercised the sheriff's functions under a royal or imperial writ. In English, the original French combi ...

. She is known for her work written in

Jèrriais ( ; also known as the Jersey language, Jersey French and Jersey Norman French in English) is a Romance languages, Romance language and the traditional language of the Jersey people. It is a form of the Norman language spoken in Jersey, an isla ...

, the traditional language of the island, and her activism in support of Jèrriais cultural heritage.

Biography

Amélia Perchard was born Amélia Noël in 1921, in Saint-Martin, Jersey. A writer, she produced various stories, plays, and poems in the Jèrriais language over the course of her career. Her plays are considered an important part of Jersey's theatrical heritage, and they have been performed frequently at the

Jersey Eisteddfod The Jersey Eisteddfod is a cultural festival and competition in Jersey. It was founded in 1908 by former Dean of Jersey Samuel Falle, who saw its competitive classes as a means by which the speech, presentation, and musical standards of his fe ...

festival. She also wrote recitations to be read by children during events organized by the Jèrriais association L'Assembliée d'Jèrriais. Her work poignantly and dramatically recounts the history of her island, in particular the dark years during the

German occupation German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...

, which she denounces in her writings. Alongside George F. Le Feuvre, she was one of the most prolific post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Jèrriais-language writers. Perchard was also active in writing Jèrriais-language song lyrics, which were set to music and recorded, as well as performed by musicians at

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

festivals in Jersey and in

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

. Her musical work frequently incorporated adaptations of popular and traditional songs, including translations from English. She died in 2012 at age 90.

References

External links

A collection of Jèrriais-language poems by Amélia Perchard
1921 births 2012 deaths Jersey writers Jersey women Norman-language writers {{Jersey-bio-stub