René Depestre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
René Depestre
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| Born | 29 August 1926  |
| Occupation | Poet, writer, essayist |
| Works | Hadriana in All My Dreams |
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René Depestre (born August 29, 1926, in Jacmel, Haiti) is a famous Haitian-French poet and writer. He is known as one of the most important writers from Haiti. For many years, he lived in Cuba because he had to leave Haiti due to the Duvalier government. He also helped start a publishing house called Casa de las Américas. René Depestre is especially famous for his poems.
Contents
René Depestre's Life and Work
René Depestre grew up in Haiti. His father passed away in 1936. After that, René lived with his grandmother. He went to school in Port-au-Prince from 1940 to 1944. His hometown of Jacmel often appears in his poems and books, especially in his novel Hadriana in All My Dreams.
Early Writings and Activism
René Depestre's first book of poems, Étincelles (which means Sparks), came out in 1945. He was only 19 years old. He also started a weekly magazine called The Hive with three friends. They wanted to help Haitians understand their history and identity.
In 1946, the Haitian government took away copies of their magazine. This led to a big uprising. Depestre was part of student movements that helped overthrow the president, Élie Lescot. Because of his actions, Depestre was arrested and then had to leave Haiti.
Life in Exile
After leaving Haiti, René Depestre went to Paris, France, in 1946. He studied literature and political science at the Sorbonne. In Paris, he met many famous French poets and other writers from around the world. He also joined movements that fought for countries to become independent from colonial rule.
Because of his political activities, he was asked to leave France. He then traveled to many different countries, including Prague, Cuba, Austria, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. In Chile, he helped organize a big cultural meeting with famous writers like Pablo Neruda.
Return to Paris and Cuba
René Depestre returned to Paris in 1956. He met other Haitian writers there. He also wrote for important magazines like Présence Africaine. He went back to Haiti for a short time in 1956-1957. However, he refused to work with the new government led by Duvalier. He was put under house arrest and had to leave Haiti again.
In 1959, he moved to Cuba after being invited by Che Guevara. He believed in the goals of the Cuban Revolution. He helped the Cuban government in many ways, including working in foreign relations and publishing. He traveled to many countries, like the USSR, China, and Vietnam, as a representative for Cuba. He also attended the first Pan-African Cultural Festival in 1969.
Later Works and Awards
While living in Cuba, René Depestre continued to write a lot of poetry. One of his most famous poetry collections is Un arc-en-ciel pour l'Occident chrétien (Rainbow for the Christian Occident), published in 1967. This book combines themes of politics and Haitian Vodou. His book Poet in Cuba (1973) shares his thoughts on the Cuban Revolution.
In 1971, he started to disagree with the Cuban government. In 1978, he left Cuba and moved back to Paris. He began working at UNESCO, an organization that promotes education, science, and culture.
In 1979, he published his first novel, Le Mat de Cocagne. In 1980, he published Alléluia pour une femme-jardin, which won the Prix Goncourt de la nouvelle in 1982.
René Depestre left UNESCO in 1986. He moved to a quiet area in France called Aude. In 1988, he published Hadriana in All My Dreams. This book won many important literary awards, including the Prix Renaudot. In 1991, he became a French citizen. He continued to receive awards, such as the Prix Guillaume Apollinaire in 1993.
A documentary film about him, called Haiti in All Our Dreams, was made in 1996.
Thoughts on Identity and Travel
René Depestre also wrote important essays. In Bonjour et adieu à la négritude (Hello and Good-bye to Négritude), he thought deeply about the "négritude" movement. This movement was started by writers like Léopold Sédar Senghor and Aimé Césaire. It focused on celebrating Black culture and identity. Depestre explored his own feelings about this movement, both admiring it and questioning some of its ideas. He continued to write about these topics in his later books, Ainsi parle le fleuve noir (1998) and Le Métier à métisser (1998).
René Depestre does not see himself as someone who was forced to leave his home. Instead, he prefers to be called a "nomad" with many roots. He compares himself to a banyan tree, which has many roots spreading out. Since 1986, he has lived in a small village in France with his second wife, Nelly Campano, who is Cuban.
His books have been published in many countries around the world, including the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Cuba, and Vietnam. He is also a special representative for UNESCO in Haiti. He is the uncle of Michaëlle Jean, who was the Governor General of Canada from 2005 to 2010.
Selected Works
Poetry
- Etincelles, Port-au-Princ: Imprimerie de l'Etat, 1945
- Gerbes de Sang, Port-au-Prince: Imprimerie de l'Etat, 1946
- Végétations de Clarté, Paris: Seghers, 1951
- Traduit du Grand Large, poème de ma patrie enchainée, Paris: Seghers, 1952
- Minerai noir, Paris: Présence Africaine, 1956
- Un arc-en-ciel pour l'occident chrétien, poème mystère vaudou, 1966
- Journal d'un animal marin, Paris: Présence Africaine, 1967
- Cantate d'Octobre à la Vie et à la Mort du Commandant Ernesto Che Guevara, Havana: Institudo del Libro, 1968
- Poète à Cuba, Paris: Pierre Jean Oswald, 1976
- En etat de poésie, Paris: Les Editeurs français réunis, 1980
- Lettre à un poète du marronnage, Bois Pluriel, 1988
- Au Matin de la négritude, Paris: Euroeditor, 1990
- Anthologie personelle, Arles: Actes Sud, 1993
- "Ode à Malcolm X: Grande Brigitte", in Literature Moderne du Monde Francophone, by Peter Thompson. Chicago: National Textbook Company (McGraw-Hill), 1997, ISBN: 978-0-8442-1588-4
- Un Eté indien de la parole, Double Cloche, 2001
- Non-assistance à poète en danger, Paris: Seghers, 2005
- Rage de vivre. Oeuvres poétiques complètes, Paris: Seghers, 2007
Novels and short stories
- El Paso Ensebado (in Spanish), 1975
- Le Mât de cocagne, Paris: Gallimard, 1979
- Alléluia pour une femme jardin, Paris: Gallimard, 1981
- Hadriana dans Tous mes Rêves, Paris: Gallimard, 1988 – Prix Renaudot
- "... dans un train chinois", Paris: Gallimard, 1990
- "La mort coupée sur mesure", in Noir des îles, Paris: Gallimard, 1995
- "Un rêve japonais", in Le Serpent à plumes. Récits et fictions courtes, Paris: Le Serpent à plumes, 1993
- L'oeillet ensorcelé, Paris: Gallimard, 2006
Essays
- Pour la révolution pour la poésie, Paris: Leméac, 1974
- Bonjour et Adieu à la Négritude, Paris: Robert Laffont, 1980
- Le Métier à métisser, Paris: Stock, 1998
- Ainsi parle le fleuve noir, Paroles de l'Aube, 1998
See also
In Spanish: René Depestre para niños
