Myriam Warner-Vieyra

Myriam Warner-Vieyra (March 25, 1939 to December 29, 2017) was a Guadeloupean-born Francophone writer and librarian, focusing on novels and short stories. While being most known for her 1982 work Juletane, she's also known for her cultural and social work. Most notably, Warner-Vieyra was a founding member of the Dakar chapter of Zonta International, having acted as treasurer, president, and governor of the chapter.

Early life and education Myriam Warner-Vieyra (born as Annoncia Josèphe Marguerite Warner ) was born in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe in the French West Indies. Warner-Vieyra's father was born in Antigua, where he learned to become a shoemaker, learning his trade according to English techniques. Before the Second World War, shoes were generally not imported in Guadeloupe, but made locally, resulting in his craftsmanship being very appreciated within Guadeloupe. Meanwhile, her mother went to school until receiving Brevet elementaire (diploma following 4 years of secondary education within the French school system) and therefore wasn't engaged in any particular trade. Following the death of her father when she was 7 years old, her mother went to France to find work, resulting in Warner-Vieyra living under the care of her grandmother, something she later described as "the happiest time of her life".

Warner-Vieyra attended primary school in Guadeloupe, having a good memory and being able to read fluently. However, she struggled academically due to her undiagnosed dyslexia. That alongside writing left-handed delayed her writing development. Warner-Vieyra lived there until the age of twelve, eventually moving to Paris, France to live with her mother again, continuing her education in the second arrondissement, repeating the 5th grade before passing the Certificat d’Etudes. While initially completing three years of training to become a hairdresser and returning to Guadeloupe in 1957 with the goal of having her own shop, she was ultimately unsuccessful due to low salary. These financial barriers caused her to return to Paris, where she worked in the postal service. There, she met Paulin Soumanou Vieyra, a Beninese / Senegalese film director and historian, marrying him in April 1961.

This was followed by her second novel Juletane, released in 1982. Juletane, viewed as her most-popular work is the story of a Caribbean woman who married a Senegalese man who, she discovers, is already married.This novel highlighted the psychological dangers for diasporic Caribbean women in relation to migration. Warner-Vieyra later published a collection of nine short stories titled Femmes échouées in 1988, ranging in topic of fictional West Indian experiences. Alongside that, Warner-Vieyra represented Senegal for the Africa America Institute, was a member of the Senegalese Writers' Association and the Friends of the Henriette Bathily Women's Museum in Gorée, Dakar, Senegal, having partook in conferences and seminars throughout the world.