Maryse Condé facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maryse Condé
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Condé after her talk at Montclair State University (New Jersey) on 6 November 2006
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| Born | Marise Liliane Appoline Boucolon 11 February 1934 Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, France |
| Died | 2 April 2024 (aged 90) Apt, Vaucluse, France |
| Language | French |
| Nationality | French |
| Education | Lycée Fénelon , Sorbonne Nouvelle |
| Alma mater | Sorbonne Nouvelle |
| Notable works | Ségou (1984) |
| Notable awards |
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| Spouse | Mamadou Condé Richard Philcox |
Maryse Condé (born Marise Liliane Appoline Boucolon; 11 February 1934 – 2 April 2024) was a famous French writer. She was from Guadeloupe, an island that is part of France. Condé was known for her novels, which explored important topics.
Her most famous novel was Ségou (1984–1985). Her books often talked about the history of African people. She wrote about how slavery and colonialism affected people in the Caribbean.
Maryse Condé wrote in French. Her books have been translated into many languages. These include English, German, and Spanish. She won several major awards for her writing. These include the Grand Prix Littéraire de la Femme (1986) and the New Academy Prize in Literature (2018).
Contents
Maryse Condé's Early Life
Maryse Condé was born in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe. She was the youngest of eight children in her family. Her parents were among the first Black teachers in Guadeloupe.
Her mother, Jeanne Quidal, ran her own school for girls. Her father, Auguste Boucolon, was also an educator. He started a small bank called "La Caisse Coopérative des prêts."
Maryse was born much later than her older brothers and sisters. She was 11 years younger than her closest sibling. She often described herself as "the spoiled child" because of this.
Condé started writing when she was very young. Before she was 12, she wrote a short play. It was a special gift for her mother's birthday.
After high school, she studied in Paris, France. She attended Lycée Fénelon and then Sorbonne Nouvelle. She studied literature and learned a lot there.
Maryse Condé's Career
In 1958, Maryse Condé met Mamadou Condé, an actor. They got married and had four children together. They later separated in 1969.
Maryse Condé became very interested in politics during this time. She taught in several African countries. These included Guinea, Ghana, and Senegal. She taught there between 1960 and 1972.
In 1973, she moved back to Paris. She taught French literature at different universities. In 1975, she earned her Ph.D. from the Sorbonne Nouvelle. Her studies focused on how Black people were shown in Caribbean literature.
In 1981, she and Mamadou Condé divorced. The next year, she married Richard Philcox. He became the English translator for most of her books.
Maryse Condé did not publish her first novel until she was almost 40. This book was called Hérémakhonon. She later became very famous with her third novel, Ségou, published in 1984.
After Ségou was a success, she received a special scholarship. This allowed her to teach in the United States. In 1995, she became a professor at Columbia University in New York City. She taught French and Francophone literature there.
Condé also taught at other universities. These included the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Virginia. She stopped teaching in 2005.
Maryse Condé's Death
Maryse Condé passed away on 2 April 2024. She was 90 years old. She died in Apt, Vaucluse, France.
Maryse Condé's Books and Their Meaning
Maryse Condé's novels explore many important ideas. She wrote about race, gender, and culture. Her stories took place in different historical times and locations.
For example, her book I, Tituba: Black Witch of Salem (1986) was about the Salem witch trials. Ségou (1984–1985) was set in a 19th-century African empire. Tree of Life (1987) looked at the building of the Panama Canal. Her books often showed the connections between African people and their descendants in the Caribbean.
Her first novel, Hérémakhonon, was published in 1976. It caused some debate and was even removed from stores for a while. This was because it criticized some political ideas in Africa. Even though the story was similar to her own life, she said it was not an autobiography.
Condé often wrote about strong women and political issues. She believed her writing needed to have a "political significance." She felt it was important to offer something meaningful through her stories.
Later in her career, some of Condé's writings became more personal. Tales From the Heart: True Stories From My Childhood (1999) is an example. Victoire (2006) was a story about her grandmother. In this book, she explored themes like motherhood and family life in the Caribbean.
Her 1995 novel, Windward Heights, was a new version of Wuthering Heights. This was a famous book by Emily Brontë. Condé had loved the original book since she was 14. Her version of the story was set in Guadeloupe. It explored how race and culture could divide people.
Maryse Condé's last novel was The Gospel According to the New World (2023). She was 86 years old when it was longlisted for a major award. She dictated the book to her husband, Richard Philcox. This was because a health condition made it hard for her to speak and see.
Awards and Honours
- 1986: Le Grand Prix Littéraire de la Femme
- 1988: Le Prix de l'Académie française (for La vie scélérate)
- 1988: Liberatur Prize (for Ségou)
- 1993: Puterbaugh Prize
- 1997: Prix Carbet de la Caraibe (for Desirada)
- 1999: Marguerite Yourcenar Prize (for Le coeur à rire et à pleurer)
- 1999: Lifetime Achievement Award from New York University's Africana Studies program
- 2001: Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government
- 2005: Hurston & Wright Legacy Award (for Who Slashed Celanire's Throat?)
- 2007: Tropiques Prize of the Agence française de développement (for Victoire, les saveurs et les mots)
- 2010: Grand prix du roman métis (for En attendant la montée des eaux)
- 2018: New Academy Prize in Literature
- 2020: PEN Translates award for Waiting for the Waters to Rise
- 2021: Prix mondial Cino Del Duca
- 2021: PEN Translates award from English PEN for The Gospel According to the New World
- 2022: Royal Society of Literature International Writer
See also
In Spanish: Maryse Condé para niños
- Caribbean literature
- Postcolonial literature
- Negritude
