Patrick Chamoiseau | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Chamoiseau inStrasbourg, June 2009 | |
| Born | 3 December 1953  Fort-de-France |
| Works | ,Texaco |
| Style | Novels, essays, tales, film scripts |
| Awards | Prix Goncourt |
Patrick Chamoiseau (French pronunciation:[patʁikʃamwazo]; born 3 December 1953) is a French author fromMartinique known for his work in thecréolité movement. His work spans a variety of forms and genres, including novels, essays, children's books, screenplays, theatre and comics. His novelTexaco was awarded thePrix Goncourt in 1992.
Chamoiseau was born on 3 December 1953 inFort-de-France, Martinique, where he resides. After he studied law inParis, France, he returned to Martinique, inspired byÉdouard Glissant to take a close interest in Creole culture.
In 1981, Chamoiseau was the co-author, with Georges Puisy, of a historical work on theAntilles under the reign ofNapoléon Bonaparte,Delgrès : les Antilles sous Bonaparte. In 1989, he was the co-author ofÉloge de la créolité (In Praise of Creoleness) withJean Bernabé andRaphaël Confiant.
Chamoiseau has received several awards. In 1990, he received thePrix Carbet forAntan d'enfance, the first book in an autobiographical trilogy collectively titledUne enfance créole.[1] His 1992 novelTexaco has been described as "a masterpiece, the work of a genius, a novel that deserves to be known as much asFanon'sThe Wretched of the Earth and Césaire'sReturn to My Native Land."[2] In 1999, Chamoiseau was honoured with aPrince Claus Award for his contribution to Caribbean society.
Chamoiseau's writing style has sometimes been compared to that ofLouis-Ferdinand Céline, for how they explore the relationship between the written and the oral.[3]
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The dynamics and relationship between men and women have been a long-time subject of literature in the Caribbean. The concept of "masculinity" versus "femininity" is a literary theme indicative of Caribbean literature. Patrick Chamoiseau, like many other authors from the Caribbean, uses this theme in many of his literary works. However, as there are a larger number of male writers that come out of the Caribbean, this topic of conversation is primarily male driven and takes the "masculinist" perspective.[4]
Chamoiseau has often been criticized as a somewhat patriarchal literary figure after having founded the masculinist Créolité movement in theAntilles archipelago. The founding of this movement was intended to bring pride and nationalism to the male Antillean population that had been emasculated for centuries by being barred from holding positions of power and authority by their European colonizers. The practice of slavery can be argued to have had a more detrimental effect on the male slave population than on the female slave population, as white slave owners attempting to have sexual affairs with female slaves would often offer them more privileges compared to their male counterparts.[citation needed]
However, his literary work in the children's story "Kosto et ses deux enfants" (fromÉmerveilles) is in stark contrast to his typical patriarchal and masculine nature.[4] The representation of men in Caribbean literature is typically portrayed in a negative light; in the story, this theme is contrasted by the main male character becoming an upstanding and respectable father figure.[4]
A question that many writers from the Caribbean try to answer is: "What does it mean to be Caribbean?" This question is the subject of a search for identity, and the word that Chamoiseau and his colleagues used to answer this question is "Creoleness". Creoleness refers to how different cultures adapt and blend on islands or isolated areas, which in the case of the Caribbean, refers to the blending of African, Polynesian, and Asian cultures with that of their European colonizers. This idea of Creoleness contrasts the idea of "Americanness" in that it existed prior to America, and that "Americanness" excludes it interaction with the indigenous population.[citation needed]
This relates to Patrick Chamoiseau's writing style in that his choices are purposeful as his overall goal is to express this concept of Creoleness.Creole Folktales is a prime example from his works. The collection itself takes place around the 17th century in the French Antilles and Chamoiseau casts storyteller-narrator and uses creole in order to recreate the tradition of storytelling in the Antilles that was primarily oral. Chamoiseau chooses these aspects to add to his writings as oral and historical accuracy are important in the representation of the Antilles and are crucial in bring awareness to Creoleness.[citation needed]