Marie Vieux-Chauvet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marie Vieux-Chauvet
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Vieux-Chauvet, Port-au-Prince 1963
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| Born | Marie Vieux September 16, 1916 Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
| Died | June 19, 1973 (aged 56) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Pen name | Colibri |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | Haitian |
| Period | 1947–1973 |
| Genre | Novels, plays, short stories |
| Spouses | Aymon Charlier, Pierre Chauvet, Ted Proudfoot |
| Relatives | Constant Vieux (Father), Delia Nones (Mother) |
Marie Vieux-Chauvet (born Marie Vieux; September 16, 1916 – June 19, 1973) was a talented writer from Haiti. She wrote novels, poems, and plays. Marie was born and grew up in Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital city. She is well-known for her important novels like Fille d'Haïti (1954) and Amour, colère et folie (1968). During her life, she published her books using the name Marie Chauvet.
Contents
Marie's Early Life and Family
Marie Vieux-Chauvet was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on September 16, 1916. Her father, Constant Vieux, was a Haitian politician. Her mother, Delia Nones, came from the United States Virgin Islands. Marie finished her studies in 1933, earning a degree in elementary education. This meant she could teach young children. She was married twice during her life.
Exploring Haitian Life in Marie's Books
Marie Vieux-Chauvet's stories often explored important topics. She wrote about social classes, skin color, and family life in Haiti. Her books also showed the big changes happening in Haitian society. These changes included the time when the United States occupied Haiti. She also wrote about the difficult period of François Duvalier's rule. Duvalier was a powerful leader, sometimes called Papa Doc.
Even though she was watched closely by Duvalier's government, Marie kept writing. She even hosted meetings for a group of poets and writers. This group was called Les Araignées du Soir, which means "The Evening Spiders." Marie was the only woman in this special group.
The Story of Amour, colère et folie
Marie sent three short novels to France to be published as one book. This book was titled Amour, colère et folie, which means Love, Anger, and Madness. It was published in 1968 by a famous company called Gallimard in Paris. A well-known writer, Simone de Beauvoir, supported its publication.
Many people felt the book criticized the Haitian leader, François Duvalier. Marie became worried about her safety. She feared the Tonton Macoutes, who were Duvalier's secret police. Because of this fear, she moved to New York City. Her husband, Pierre Chauvet, went back to Haiti and bought as many copies of the book as he could find. Marie's daughters later bought the rest of the copies from the publisher. Marie later remarried and worked as a housekeeper in New York.
Marie Vieux-Chauvet passed away in the United States on June 19, 1973. She was 56 years old.
Marie's Works in English
Parts of her writings can be found in collections like Her True-True Name and Daughters of Africa. In 2009, Amour, colère et folie was translated into English. The English version, Love, Anger, Madness, was translated by Rose-Myriam Réjouis and Val Vinokur. A Haitian-American writer named Edwige Danticat wrote an introduction for this English edition.
Awards and Recognition for Marie's Writing
Marie Vieux-Chauvet received several awards for her important books:
- 1954: Prix de l'Alliance Française for Fille d'Haïti
- 1960: Prix France-Antilles for Fonds des nègres
- 1986: Prix Deschamps (awarded after her death) for Amour, colère et folie
See also
- Caribbean literature
