Jacques Stephen Alexis, lecteur des romanciers haïtiens du xixe siècle

Jacques Stephen Alexis is one of the most influential novelists and intellectuals of the 20th-century Francophone literary panorama. In the last century, not only his fictional works have contributed to the aesthetic renewal of Haitian prose, but also his critical texts have marked a turning point i...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Silvia Boraso
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Université des Antilles
Series:Études Caribéennes
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/etudescaribeennes/28679
_version_ 1797314646028320768
author Silvia Boraso
author_facet Silvia Boraso
author_sort Silvia Boraso
collection DOAJ
description Jacques Stephen Alexis is one of the most influential novelists and intellectuals of the 20th-century Francophone literary panorama. In the last century, not only his fictional works have contributed to the aesthetic renewal of Haitian prose, but also his critical texts have marked a turning point in the literary history of the country. In his theorisation on the novel, Alexis had the great merit, among other things, of recognising the role played by the first Haitian novelists in the evolution of the national novelistic production. Although he – like most critics – is very negative about certain authors, Alexis nevertheless manages to overcome the stubborn prejudice of their alleged lack of Haitianness and pays tribute to their works, whose literary value has long been overlooked. One example among many others: when speaking of the origins of Haitian literature, one must cite for historical reasons Stella, the first novel written by a Haitian; yet, specialists have often underestimated its literary value. Alexis, on the other hand, has gone so far as to assert that it is ‘the audacious beginning of marvellous realism’. This paper will attempt to highlight the exceptional dimension of this reading, which once again proves the critical acuity of one of Haiti’s greatest novelists.
first_indexed 2024-03-08T02:49:07Z
format Article
id doaj.art-66aa4f08b8eb4b5a8891e7e33eec9f33
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1779-0980
1961-859X
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-08T02:49:07Z
publisher Université des Antilles
record_format Article
series Études Caribéennes
spelling doaj.art-66aa4f08b8eb4b5a8891e7e33eec9f332024-02-13T13:13:42ZengUniversité des AntillesÉtudes Caribéennes1779-09801961-859X1110.4000/etudescaribeennes.28679Jacques Stephen Alexis, lecteur des romanciers haïtiens du xixe siècleSilvia BorasoJacques Stephen Alexis is one of the most influential novelists and intellectuals of the 20th-century Francophone literary panorama. In the last century, not only his fictional works have contributed to the aesthetic renewal of Haitian prose, but also his critical texts have marked a turning point in the literary history of the country. In his theorisation on the novel, Alexis had the great merit, among other things, of recognising the role played by the first Haitian novelists in the evolution of the national novelistic production. Although he – like most critics – is very negative about certain authors, Alexis nevertheless manages to overcome the stubborn prejudice of their alleged lack of Haitianness and pays tribute to their works, whose literary value has long been overlooked. One example among many others: when speaking of the origins of Haitian literature, one must cite for historical reasons Stella, the first novel written by a Haitian; yet, specialists have often underestimated its literary value. Alexis, on the other hand, has gone so far as to assert that it is ‘the audacious beginning of marvellous realism’. This paper will attempt to highlight the exceptional dimension of this reading, which once again proves the critical acuity of one of Haiti’s greatest novelists.https://journals.openedition.org/etudescaribeennes/28679Jacques Stephen AlexisHaitian literature19th-century HaitiÉmeric BergeaudAmédée Brun
spellingShingle Silvia Boraso
Jacques Stephen Alexis, lecteur des romanciers haïtiens du xixe siècle
Études Caribéennes
Jacques Stephen Alexis
Haitian literature
19th-century Haiti
Émeric Bergeaud
Amédée Brun
title Jacques Stephen Alexis, lecteur des romanciers haïtiens du xixe siècle
title_full Jacques Stephen Alexis, lecteur des romanciers haïtiens du xixe siècle
title_fullStr Jacques Stephen Alexis, lecteur des romanciers haïtiens du xixe siècle
title_full_unstemmed Jacques Stephen Alexis, lecteur des romanciers haïtiens du xixe siècle
title_short Jacques Stephen Alexis, lecteur des romanciers haïtiens du xixe siècle
title_sort jacques stephen alexis lecteur des romanciers haitiens du xixe siecle
topic Jacques Stephen Alexis
Haitian literature
19th-century Haiti
Émeric Bergeaud
Amédée Brun
url https://journals.openedition.org/etudescaribeennes/28679
work_keys_str_mv AT silviaboraso jacquesstephenalexislecteurdesromanciershaitiensduxixesiecle