Writing the French Caribbean: an Introduction

Broaden your horizons on a journey to the French Caribbean for Francophone Month! With a combined population of less than 750,000 inhabitants, the two small French ‘Territorial Collectivities’ of Martinique and Guadeloupe have produced an astonishing number of brilliant, successful and prolific writers. This talk by Professor Lorna Milne FRSE, Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques will celebrate Francophone Month by introducing some of these extraordinary islands’ best known and most interesting authors, with quotations from their work in the original French accompanied by translations into English. Since their literature is so intricately linked to the places themselves, we will also look at the islands’ physical environment, complex history, unique culture, and very particular social characteristics. So while this lecture will naturally appeal to those who wish to broaden the scope of their reading, it will assume no particular literary knowledge or expertise and promises to contain much of general interest to anyone who is simply curious about two fascinating components of the Francophone world.