Guadeloupian author Maryse Condé, who passed away at 90, left behind an impressive collection of works exploring the complex and often violent interactions between cultures throughout history. Her renowned historical novels, “Segu” (1984) and “The Children of Segu” (1985), for instance, delve into the significant transformations within a 19th-century royal court in present-day Mali due to the slave trade, the advent of Islam and Christianity, and European colonization. Condé’s literature frequently questioned simplistic solutions to intricate issues, addressing themes of class, ethnicity, gender, origin, and race, along with the diverse perceptions of social status. Her remarkable contributions earned her the New Academy Prize in Literature, the “alternative Nobel prize,” in 2018, among various other accolades.
Highlighting some of her influential works, including her 1986 novel “Moi, Tituba sorcière… Noire de Salem” (translated into English as “Tituba, Black Witch of Salem” with a foreword by Angela Davis), she is acknowledged for her profound exploration of slavery, power, and witchcraft. This narrative partly relies on historical records of Tituba, a young woman enslaved in the Caribbean and North America in the late 1600s who was one of the first accused during the Salem witch trials. Condé vividly imagines Tituba’s life, detailing the brutal reality of the Barbadian slave economy in the novel’s first half, and the subtle yet pervasive violence leading to the Salem witch persecutions in the latter half. Her work sheds light on the divisive legacies of slavery and colonialism and questions the fairness in defining what constitutes “knowledge.”
In “Crossing the Mangrove” (1989), Condé focuses on Caribbean identity, with each chapter narrated by a different character attending the mysterious Francis Sancher’s wake. Here, the novel reveals the diverse tapestry of this small community, touching upon elements like class, color, education, gender, history, and political views as characters reflect on the deceased and each other. Secrets and prejudices unfold over the night, some revealed to the community and others solely to the reader. The novel not only portrays the intricate diversity of Caribbean society but also captures the universal experience of loss and mourning. The title could be linked to either Lord Alfred Tennyson’s poem “Crossing the Bar,” seen as an elegy, or the complex navigation through a mangrove, symbolizing the multifaceted nature of identity.
Condé’s first novel “Heremakhonon” (1976) explores the journey of a young Guadeloupian woman who initially views herself as “French” but confronts differing perceptions of identity upon arriving in Paris. There, she is encouraged to explore Africa, only to be told again that she is inherently Caribbean. Through her narrative, Condé critiques how grand theories can alter an individual’s sense of identity. She revisits these concepts in her autobiographical works, particularly “Le cœur à rire et à pleurer: souvenirs de mon enfance” (translated into English as “Tales From the Heart: True Stories From My Childhood”), where she recounts her comfortable middle-class background and political awakening to what her brother calls “alienation.”
In the book, she reflects on her parents’ preference for an idealized version of French culture while neglecting Guadeloupian traditions and Black identity. She notes feeling like a “black skin, white mask,” referencing Frantz Fanon’s influential work “Black Skin, White Masks,” which examines the psychological impact of colonialism and racism. One of her later works, “The Journey of a Caribbean Writer” (2014), compiles some of her lectures and essays, including previously unpublished texts. It shares her reflections on the connections between the Caribbean and Africa within what sociologist Paul Gilroy termed the Black Atlantic. This concept describes the cultural blend resulting from the interactions among Black and other cultures across the Atlantic, highlighting issues of diaspora and globalization and the arbitrary nature of our cultural and linguistic heritage.