Anne Cheynet

Anne-Marie Thérèse Fontaine (23 August 1938 – 23 May 2025), known by her pen name Anne Cheynet, was a French author in Réunion. Her 1977 work is considered a significant contribution to Réunionnais literature, as the first novel to be formally labeled as "Réunionnais."

Life and career Anne-Marie Thérèse Fontaine was born in Saint-Denis, Réunion, in 1938, and spent her childhood in the city's Saint-François neighborhood. She traveled to Aix-en-Provence to study in 1956, remaining abroad until 1963.

Back on the island, she worked as a secondary school teacher before getting involved in politics. She later returned to the classroom as a preschool teacher. Cheynet, who was from a poor white family, drew on her experiences of discrimination during the island's colonial era.

Between 2001 and 2004, she produced three CDs of oral storytelling.

Selected works Matanans et Langoutis (poetry), 1972 Les Muselés (novel), L'Harmattan, 1977 Ter tout' kouler : Poème pour la terre multicolore (poetry), vol. 1, Ravine des Sables, ADMV, 1992 Rivages maouls : histoires d'Annabelle (autobiographical), vol. 1, Océan, 1994 La clé dans zot poche: Histoires semées depuis le Grand Sentier (stories), Éditions Poisson Rouge, 2022