Patrick Chamoiseau

Patrick Chamoiseau (; born 3 December 1953) is a French author from Martinique known for his work in the créolité movement. His work spans a variety of forms and genres, including novels, essays, children's books, screenplays, theatre and comics. His novel Texaco was awarded the Prix Goncourt in 1992.

Biography Chamoiseau was born on 3 December 1953 in Fort-de-France, Martinique, where he resides. After he studied law in Paris, France, he returned to Martinique, inspired by Édouard Glissant to take a close interest in Creole culture.

In 1981, Chamoiseau was the co-author, with Georges Puisy, of a historical work on the Antilles under the reign of Napoléon Bonaparte, Delgrès : les Antilles sous Bonaparte. In 1989, he was the co-author of Éloge de la créolité (In Praise of Creoleness) with Jean Bernabé and Raphaël Confiant.

Chamoiseau has received several awards. In 1990, he received the Prix Carbet for Antan d'enfance, the first book in an autobiographical trilogy collectively titled Une enfance créole. His 1992 novel Texaco has been described as "a masterpiece, the work of a genius, a novel that deserves to be known as much as Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth and Césaire's Return to My Native Land." In 1999, Chamoiseau was honoured with a Prince Claus Award for his contribution to Caribbean society.

Chamoiseau's writing style has sometimes been compared to that of Louis-Ferdinand Céline, for how they explore the relationship between the written and the oral.

Writing style and approach

Masculinity versus femininity 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.

Chamoiseau has often been criticized as a somewhat patriarchal literary figure after having founded the masculinist Créolité movement in the Antilles 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.

However, his literary work in the children's story "Kosto et ses deux enfants" (from Émerveilles) is in stark contrast to his typical patriarchal and masculine nature. Delgrès : les Antilles sous Bonaparte (1981). Illustrated by Georges Puisy. Encyclomerveille d'un tueur #1 : L'orphelin de Cocoyer Grands-Boi (2009). Illustrated by Thierry Ségur.

Children's literature Émerveilles (1998).

Honors and awards

1986: Prix Kléber Haedens, for Chronique des sept misères 1986: Prix de l'île Maurice, for Chronique des sept misères 1987: Prix international francophone Loys Masson, for Chronique des sept misères 1988: Grand Prix de la littérature de jeunesse, for Au temps de l’antan 1989: "Mention" Premio Grafico Fiera di Bologna per la Gioventù de la Foire du livre de jeunesse de Bologne (Italie) for Au temps de l'antan : contes du pays Martinique 1990: Prix Carbet de la Caraïbe, for Antan d'enfance 1992: Prix Goncourt for Texaco 1999: Prince Claus Award 2002: Prix Spécial du Jury RFO, for Biblique des derniers gestes 2008: Prix du Livre RFO, for Un dimanche au cachot 2010: Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres 2016: Prix international Nessim Habif, Académie royale de langue et de littérature françaises de Belgique, for La Matière de l'absence 2019: Best Translated Book Award (Slave Old Man) 2023: Prix Marguerite-Yourcenar