Edouard Glissant: A French Writer's Journey in Colonial Reality - Essay Sample

Introduction

Edouardo Glissant was a French writer, philosopher, poet, and literally critic born September 21st in 1928 in the Caribbean Island, Saint-Marie, Martinique. He was born out of a family of five children at a time when his father was working as an agricultural manager and so 'gereur d'Habitation' ("Glissant, Edouard - Postcolonial Studies"). The father exposed him directly into the colonial reality. Glissant later moved to Lamentin during his childhood; this was where he was introduced to primary school. Lamentin is the second most populated city in Martinique, and this is where Glissant discovered the strictness of the third republic school system such that there was a prohibition for speaking Creole, particularly children. Glissant was a bright boy that he was accorded with a scholarship to attend the prestigious Lycee Schoelcher High School in the year 1938, which is located in Fort-de-France, Martinique's capital that had produced famous characters such as Aime Cesaire ("Glissant, Edouard - Postcolonial Studies"). The school was named after Victor Schoelcher, who was an abolitionist.

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Glissant continued with his determination, focus, and hard work in studies such that in the year 1946, he left his home (natal Island, Martinique) for the very first time for Paris, the French Capital. While in Paris, Glissant studied at La Sorbonne, where he engaged and socialized with several West Indians, so-called Antillais, like, for instance, someone such as Frantz Fanon. He successfully went through his studies at La Sorbonne, where he later graduated with a Bachelor's degree in philosophy. Also, he was accorded with a graduate degree in ethnology, which made a success through Jean Wahl, who is a French philosopher and is the one who supervised Glissant during the course work. Glissant took a journey back to Martinique in 1953, where he was involved in publishing his works. The works were published in the journal named Les Lettres Nouvelles, belonging to Maurice Nadeau, who was Glissant's best and close friend. Les Lettres Nouvelles can be translated as, The New Arts.

Glissant became famous in 1958 after publishing La Lezarde, translated as, The Ripening which won him a prestigious French award known as the Renaudot Prize. Due to the rising fame and popularity, Glissant, who was young at that particular time, decided to join the anti-colonialist movement, which was a political movement comprising particularly the artist movements and black writers. Glissant gained enough experience from the partnerships in the movements that he was able to come up with, Le Front Antillo-Guyanais, as the founder which is translated as, The Antillian-Guyanese Front by teaming up with other writers including Corsnay Marie-Joseph and Beville ("Glissant, Edouard - Postcolonial Studies"). He was involved in fighting for the independence of the French West Indies and Guiana from the rule of France.

However, there rose a challenge and a situation that led to the group's dissolution, which was in 1961 when the Algerian fight for independence began. The situation was a tough one that necessitated the end of partnerships and collaborations. Thereafter, the French president at that time, General De Gaulle, ordered the arrest of Edouardo Glissant with the arrest accompanied with restriction to the residence in West Indies in addition to being sentenced to administrative detention as in France not until the calming and resolution of colonies situations.

In 1988, Glissant began his American career by resuming a distinguished professor position, that is, at Louisiana State University, commonly abbreviated as LSU. Joining LSU was a perfect (if not best) opportunity for Glissant to explore the creole cultures' expansions in the United States (US). Later on, in 1990, Glissant was able to publish his popular and most famous essay, Poetique de la Relation-that is, Poetics of Relation ("Glissant, Edouard - Postcolonial Studies"). This essay entails Glissant's philosophy towards cultures and languages. Glissant was then nominated as a finalist for the Noble Prize in Literature in 1992. However, he was beaten by writer Derek Walcott to win the award by only a single vote. Glissant, later on, moved to New York City, enabling him to become the chair of the French department at CUNY graduate center, which was a new role for Edouardo Glissant.

While in New York City, he was able to receive many doctorates, that is; Doctorat Honoris Causa from different universities across the globe. He also received several literary prizes. In 1993 and 1997, Glissant was able to respectively publish the essay, Tout-monde, and the novel Traite du Tout-monde ("Glissant, Edouard - Postcolonial Studies"). Through both the essay and the novel, he talks about the effects and shortcomings of globalization. Later on, in 2007, he developed L'institut du Tout-monde in Paris, France, exposing Glissant's notions and perspectives on the two principles of openness, that is, Relation and Tout-Monde. Glissant was considered as being among the most influential characters in the Caribbean cultural commentaries and thoughts. Unfortunately, Edouardo Glissant passed away on February 3rd, 2011, at the age of 82 years in Paris (Plenel).

Glissant participated in a movement so-called Antillanite formed in the 1960s and aimed at restituting a West Indies identity to the Antilles. In this case, they assimilated the French system, which was determined to promote togetherness nationwide, and that did not advocate for any differences in the national sameness. The concept intended to distance and separate Cesaire, Senghor, and Damas, who supported the black heritage to return into the French colonial system. For this reason, Antillanite had full recognition of the diverse cultures composing Antillean identities. This was an openness that brought together different civilizations to create creole. In the efforts of expanding hybridity concepts and pay literary tribute to Glissant, Raphael Confiant, Patrick Chamoiseau, plus Jean Barnabe, came up and published, In Praise of Creoleness - Eloge a la Creolite, that is, eight years after the publishing of Discours Antillais by Glissant ("Glissant, Edouard - Postcolonial Studies"). Therefore, they were aimed at ending discriminations, whether one is a European, African, or Asian, as they proclaimed themselves as creoles.

Glissant's concept of creolization, which is an evolution from Antillanite, brings about the relations between different cultures, and several other elements of identities. Through creolization, Glissant highlights and depicts the notion of unpredictability, which differentiates and distinguishes creolization from hybridization, which indicates the expectable effect(s). In the case of Tout-Monde, many differences that exist in the world, even up to date, are quantified and highlighted. Tout-monde is, therefore, aimed at classifying and diversifying the world's differences.

Based on rhizomatic identity, the concept of cultural identities and diversifications in the culture is advocated by Glissant. Therefore, the complexity of the creole identity is exposed through the expression of the rhizome; thus, rhizomatic identity. A rhizome is a plant growing underground having its roots growing around other roots; hence, Glissant applies this to creolization as in the case where roots can meet and share cultural bonds and thus creating an identity.

In the concept of discourse on Antillanity, Glissant published a famous essay in 1981 in which he elaborates and analyzes the Antillean culture in its entity. Here, he discusses the history relating to different perceptions and beliefs, such as in the case where the whites are seen as the topmost culture. And that, Africans and Hindus are at the bottom, Glissant makes an effort to address and give voice to the Antillean culture and minimize assimilation impacts. He also highlights the creole, civilization, and the language of compromise entailing the Antillean culture. In the essay, he brings about the concept and notion of history, cultures, and the literature concerning the deprivation of the Antilleans.

In the Poetics of Relation, the brilliance of Edouardo Glissant is depicted and with the fact that the essay is the most acclaimed of all his essays that maps his extraordinary way of thinking. The essay in the entity discusses and analyzes the notion and concept of Relation. Glissant argues that openness should be considered whether to the unpredictability or the unknown. In the Poetics of Relation, Glissant addresses a wide range of questions raised concerning relations and chaos; rhizome and creolization identity; transparency and opacity; original and translated texts; literacy and orality including several other issues.

Works

Novels

La Lezarde (1958). Nouvelle edition, Paris: Gallimard, 1997.

Le Quatrieme Siecle (1964). Paris: Gallimard, 1997.

Malemort. (1975). Nouvelle edition, Paris: Gallimard, 1997.

La Case du commandeur (1981). Nouvelle edition, Paris: Galliamard, 1997.

Mahagony. (1987) Nouvelle edition, Paris: Gallimard, 1997.

Tout-Monde. Paris: Gallimard, 1993.

Sartorius: le roman des Batoutos. Paris: Gallimard, 1999.

Ormerod. Paris: Gallimard, 2003.

Essays

Soleil de la conscience (1956) (Poetique I), Nouvelle edition, Paris: Gallimard, 1997.

L'Intention poetique (1969) (Poetique II), Nouvelle edition, Paris: Gallimard, Gallimard, 1997.

Le Discours antillais (1981), Paris: Gallimard, 1997.

Poetique de la Relation (Poetique III), Paris: Gallimard, 1990.

Discours de Glendon. Suivi d'une bibliographie des ecrits d'Edouard Glissant etablie par Alain Baudot. Toronto: Ed. du GREF, 1990.

Introduction a une poetique du divers (1995), Paris: Gallimard, 1996.

Faulkner, Mississippi. Paris: Stock, 1996; Paris: Gallimard (folio), 1998.

Racisme blanc. Paris: Gallimard, 1998

Traite du Tout-Monde. (Poetique IV) Paris: Gallimard, 1997.

La Cohee du Lamentin. (Poetique V) Paris: Gallimard, 2005.

Ethnicite d'aujourd'hui. Paris : Gallimard, 2005.

Une nouvelle region du monde (Esthetique I), Paris: Gallimard, 2006.

Memoires des esclavages (avec un avant-propos de Dominique de Villepin). Paris: Gallimard, 2007.

Quand les murs tombent. L'identite nationale hors-la-loi? (avec Patrick Chamoiseau). Paris: Galaade, 2007.

La terre magnetique: les errances de Rapa Nui, l'ile de Paques (avec Sylvie Sema). Paris: Seuil, 2007.

Poetry

L'Isles. Frontispiece de Wolfgang Paalen. Paris: Instance, 1953.

La Terre inquiete. Lithographies de Wifredo Lam. Paris: Editions du Dragon, 1955.

Le Sel Noir. Paris: Seuil, 1960.

Les Indes, Un Champ d'iles, La Terre inquete. Paris: Seuil, 1965.

L'Intention poetique (1969) (Poetique II), Nouvelle edition, Paris: Gallimard, 1997.

Boises; histoire naturelle d'une aridite. Fort-de-France: Acoma, 1979.

Le Sel noir; Le Sang rive; Boises. Paris: Gallimard, 1983.

Pays reve, pays reel. Paris: Seuil, 1985.

Fastes. Toronto: Ed. du GREF, 1991.

Poemes complets (Le Sang rive; Un Champ d'iles; La Terre inquiete; Les Indes; Le Sel noir; Boises; Pays reve, pays reel; Fastes; Les Grands chaos). Paris: Gallimard, 1994.

Le Monde incree: Conte de ce que fut la Tragedie d'Askia; Parabole d'un Moulin de Martinique; La Folie Celat. Paris: Gallimard, 2000.

Plays

Glissant, Edouard. Monsieur Toussaint. Paris, Editions du Seuil, 1961, reed. Acoma,1978, reed. Editions du Seuil, 1986, nouvelle edition, Paris, Gallimard, 1998.

Le Monde incree. Poetrie - Conte de ce que fut la tragedie d'Askia ; Parabole d'un moulin de Martinique ; La Folie Celat. Paris, Gallimard, 2000.

Work Cited

"Glissant, Edouard - Postcolonial Studies". Scholarblogs.Emory.Edu, 2020, https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/postcolonialstudies/2015/11/04/edouard-glissant/. Accessed 15 Apr 2020.

Bernabe, Jean, Patrick Chamoiseau & Raphael Confiant. In Praise...