Indian Ocean Literatures & Cultures
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Bibliographies
809 Z38r 1983 (Mod. Lang. & Ling. Ref.) Zell, Hans M., Carol Bundy, and Virginia Coulon, eds. A New Reader's Guide to African Literature. 2nd ed. New York: Africana Publishing Company, 1983. 553 pp.
Annotated citations of works from and about English-speaking, Francophone, and Lusophone Africa, arranged primarily by country, and secondarily by authors' names. Works from and about Francophone West Africa, East and Central Africa, and the Indian Ocean islands are listed on pp. 225 to 297. The second part of the volume includes biographies of dozens of African authors. Includes an index of authors, editors, and critics cited.
016.96981 G441b (Main Stacks) Girardin, Monique, compiler. Bibliographie de l'île de la Réunion (1973-1992). Presses Universitaires d'Aix-Marseille, 1994. 285 pp.
This bibliography is organized in nine main categories: reference works; general works; the environment; society, population, health, family and social life; regional development, urbanism, transportation, and tourism; the economy, production, and employment; institutions, administration, and politics; regional and international relations; language, literature, and the arts; and history. There are two indices, one of individual authors and another of collective authors and titles.
016.96981 R61b (v. 1-10) (Main Stacks) Roda, Jean-Claude. Bibliographie de la Réunion des origines à 1975. Saint-Denis: Association Historique Internationale de l'Océan Indien, 1982-1984. 10 vol.; 302 pp. total.
The first published bibliography of literature from Reunion Island, taken together these slim volumes include thousands of entries on works from 1700-1975. Organized following the Dewey decimal classification system, entries are alphabetized by author, or by title when the author is unknown, within each category.
Q.016.96982005 ME 1981-90 Inc. (Main Stacks) Memorandum of Books Printed in Mauritius and registered in the Archives Office (printed quarterly). Port Louis, Mauritius: Mauritius Archives, 1981-1990.
These listings of books registered in the Mauritius Archives are divided into two categories: (1) publications issued by government and public institutions, and (2) publications issued by private individuals and organizations. Within each quarter and each of these two sections, citations are organized alphabetically by individual authors' last names or corporate authors' names.
015.6982 M44b (Main Stacks) Toussaint, Auguste and Harold Adolphe. Bibliography of Mauritius (1502-1954). Port Louis: The Government of Mauritius, 1956. 884 pp.
Intended to record as comprehensively as possible all pieces and sets of printed, manuscript, archivalia, and cartographic material related to Mauritius and its Dependencies from 1502 through 1954, available in Mauritius itself or elsewhere. The foreword gives some basic historical information on Mauritius and its literature. The general index, which refers to entry-numbers rather than page-numbers, includes individual and corporate names and titles of periodicals, newspapers, and serials appearing in the entries.
016.9696 Se93i (Main Stacks) Webb, A.W.T. and H.J. Mac Gaw. Inventaire des Archives Nationales des Seychelles. Victoria: Les Archives Nationales des Seychelles, [1981]. 432 pp.
The first published inventory of the Seychelles National Archives, covering works published (and objects created) between 1772 and 1979. Documents are classed in 10 categories: official records from the French administration of the islands up to 1810, official correspondence of the British administration starting in 1811, selected official records of the British administration after 1867, official publications of the Seychelles government, civil status registers, unofficial publications on the history and natural history of the Seychelles, journals and newspapers published in the Seychelles, maps, sound recordings, and stamps, coins, and treasury notes. Each section is introduced by notes on the history and status of the works in that specific part of the collection.
015.691 F73b (Main Stacks) Fontvieille, Jean, ed. Bibliographie nationale de Madagascar (1956-1963). [Tananarive]: Université de Madagascar, [1971]. 511 pp.
Intended as a continuation of Grandidier's work (see below), the numbered entries of this work thus begin at number 23,004 and end with number 28,450 (for a total of 5,447 entries). Instead of following Grandidier's strictly alphabetical arrangement, Fontvieille categorized the entries of his bibliography according to Universal Decimal Classification (with entries within each category in alphabetical order by the authors' last names). One cumulative, alphabetized index of authors, titles of anonymous publications, periodicals, and subjects is intended to facilitate finding specific entries more easily than with Grandidier's system of three separate indexes.
Vols. 1 and 2: 016.9691 G76B Main Reference [non-circulating]
Vols. 1-3: 969.1016 G753B Southern Illinois University; non-circulating
Grandidier, Guillaume. Bibliographie de Madagascar. Paris: Comité de Madagascar, 1906 [i.e. 1905]-57. 3 vol. 1909 pp.
Described in the preface of Fontvieille's bibliography (see above) as a meticulous work that includes citations and annotations for all known publications in Madagascar from its discovery by Europeans at the beginning of the 20th century to 1955. Contains 23,003 alphabetized entries and a systematic, 30-part index referring to the number of each entry.
Literary Histories & Criticism
840.9 J822l (Mod. Lang. & Ling.) Joubert, Jean-Louis. Littératures de l'Océan Indien. Histoire littéraire de la Francophonie. Vanves, France: EDICEF, 1991. Black-and-white maps. 303 pp.
A general history of the literatures of Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion Island, the Seychelles, and the Comoros. The introduction gives some background information on the diversity of these islands and basic definitions of their various forms of literature. The body of the text is divided into four main parts, which discuss Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion Island, and the Archipelagos (the Seychelles and the Comoros). Each part begins with a chronology of the island(s) in question, then discusses the languages and literature, including specific influential writers and literary movements, of the island(s). Each chapter concludes with bibliographic references. A helpful synthesis of major historical and literary developments in the literatures of this region since the first contacts between Europeans and the islanders.
840.9 N6933l v. 3 (Mod. Lang. & Ling. Ref.) Hausser, Michel and Martine Mathieu. Littératures francophones: III. Afrique noire, Océan Indien. Paris: Belin, 1998. 270 pp.
Divided into two main sections, the first on Sub-Saharan Africa and the second on the Indian Ocean, this volume provides introductions to the literatures of these regions as well as bibliographies and chronologies of them. The chapters in the second section focus on Madagascar, Mauritius, and Réunion, tracing literary movements and developments on these islands. Numerous sidebars give additional information on specific authors and works. At the end of the volume are bio-bibliographical notes on major authors, indexes of proper names, literary works, and works cited, and a detailed table of contents.
016.8409 R752l (Mod. Lang. & Ling. Ref.) Rouch, Alain and Gérard Clavreuil. Littératures nationales d'écriture française: Afrique noire, Cara?bes, Océan Indien: Histoire littéraire et Anthologie. Paris: Bordas, 1986. 511 pp.
This volume is organized into sections by country, with a brief introduction to the literary history of each country preceding several excerpts of works by authors from that country. Madagascar, Mauritius, and Réunion are all represented. See the "Autres pays" section for brief entries on the Comoros and the Seychelles Islands. Bio-bibliographical information on each author is included with the selection from his or her work. At the end of the book are a bibliography and an index of authors with the names of their countries so that readers can refer back to the appropriate section of the anthology.
840.9 Oc2 (Mod. Lang. & Ling.) Issur, Kumari R. and Vinesh Y. Hookoomsing, directors. L'océan Indien dans les littératures francophones: Pays réels, pays rêvé, pays révélés. Paris: Kathala, 2001. 706 pp.
Papers from a conference held at the Université de Maurice in July 1997, which treat the literatures of Mauritius, Réunion, and Madagascar, as well as relationships between French and Indian Ocean literature. The texts have been organized thematically into the following categories: travel and cultural encounters, the Indian Ocean (créolité and indianocéanisme); Madagascar (literature, culture, and anthropology); multilingualism and interculturality; the "plurality" of Mauritius; reality and utopia; faces and images of India; and Africa, the Caribbean, and the Mascareignes (convergences and divergences). The detailed table of contents makes it easy to find papers of interest, and this volume is a valuable source for recent literary criticism of a Francophone region that is often overlooked by scholars.
840.9 N544n (Main Stacks) Nicole, Rose-May. Noirs, Cafres, et Créoles: Etude de la représentation du non blanc réunionnais. (Documents et littératures réunionnaises 1710-1980). Paris: L'Harmattan, 1996.
This work traces the representation of the Blacks and Creoles of Reunion Island in literature from Antoine Boucher's Mémoire written in the early 18th century to colonial documents to late 20th-century poetry and novels. The author found that novels about Blacks, slaves, fugitive slaves, and natives were particularly popular between 1844 and 1955, so the book has a special focus on that time period. Includes a categorized bibliography and a glossary of Island vocabulary; words of Malagasy origin; words of Portuguese, Indo-Portuguese, or Indian origin; words of French origin; words of unknown origin; and Creole terms.
840.9 P945h (Main Stacks) Prosper, Jean-Georges. Histoire de la littérature mauricienne de langue française. Ile Maurice: Éditions de l'Océan Indien, 1978. 344 pp.
This history of the Francophone literature of Mauritius traces works and authors from the beginning of French-language publication on the island at the beginning of the 19th century to the late 20th century. Prosper discusses what he sees as the collective "personality" of Mauritius, literary societies on the island, poetry, folklore, neo-Romanticism and symbolism, surrealism, "Indian Oceanism," symbolic impressionism, the rise of the novel, and the roles of Africa and of the Far East in the literature of Mauritius. The work includes notes on French authors who were inspired by the island, natives of Mauritius who have published in Eastern languages, and those who have published in English. Appendices list literary reviews and journals, printers, and Francophone authors of the island, often with brief descriptions of their lives and work. The volume concludes with a brief bibliography of secondary sources.
Literary Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
Q.969.81003 En19 (Main Stacks) Chaudenson, Robert, director. Encyclopédie de la Réunion. 8 vols. Saint-Denis: Livres-Réunion, 1980. Black-and-white and color illustrations and photographs.
Beautifully bound and illustrated, this series of French-language encyclopedias of Réunion covers the following range of topics:
- 1. History and Daily Life;
- 2. Geography;
- 3. Rural Life;
- 4. Economic Life;
- 5. Lifestyles;
- 6. Cultures and Traditions;
- 7. Literature; and
- 8. Flora and Fauna.
Volume 7 on literature is organized into three chapters:
- 1. Oral Literature (folktales, proverbes, and word plays);
- 2. Literature in Réunion up to 1950 (Major and minor authors, literary genres, and Creole literature); and
- 3. Contemporary Literature in Réunion (1950-1980). The volume includes a brief bibliography and a list of the dozens of illustrations it features.
Anthologies
840.8 L71855 (Mod. Lang. & Ling.) Joubert, Jean-Louis, Amina Osman, and Liliane Ramarosoa. Littératures francophones de l'Océan Indien. Paris: Groupe de la Cité international, 1993.
Part of a multi-volume series of anthologies of Francophone literatures, this volume offers a general introduction to French-language literature originating from the islands of the Indian Ocean. Includes two-page essays on the literatures of Madagascar, Reunion Island, Mauritius Island, the Archipels, and on French authors' work about the region. The literature represented consists of excerpts of autobiography, short stories, essays, poetry and poetry in prose, travel journals, novels, and theater. There is a very helpful chronology of historical events and literary developments in the area. Includes an index of authors cited, a table of the short literary essays provided throughout the volume, and an index of the genres and literary forms selected. Intended for use by secondary and college students, the work also offers pedagogical materials such as discussion questions alongside the literary excerpts.
016.8409 R752l (Mod. Lang. & Ling. Ref.) Rouch, Alain and Gérard Clavreuil. Littératures nationales d'écriture française: Afrique noire, Cara?bes, Océan Indien: Histoire littéraire et Anthologie. Paris: Bordas, 1986. 511 pp.
This volume is organized into sections by country, with a brief introduction to the literary history of each country preceding several excerpts of works by authors from that country. Madagascar, Mauritius, and Réunion are all represented. Bio-bibliographical information on each author is included with the selection from his or her work. At the end of the book are a bibliography and an index of authors with the names of their countries so that readers can refer back to the appropriate section of the anthology.
840.8 V87 (Main Stacks) Bourgeacq, Jacques, and Liliane Ramarosoa, eds. Voices from Madagascar: An Anthology of Contemporary Francophone Literature. / Voix de Madagascar: Anthologie de littérature francophone contemporaine. African Series No. 75. Athens, OH: Ohio University Center for International Studies, 2002. 314 pp.
The introduction to this bilingual anthology is written in English and provides background information on the long-standing "cultural and linguistic 'love affair' between France and Madagascar" (p. xii) and on colonial literature written by French authors as well as on literature written by Malagasy authors throughout the 20th century. This volume includes complete poems and short stories, rather than excerpts from longer works, in the original French alongside their translations into English. Endnotes explain Malagasy terms and cultural allusions. Includes a selected bibliography.
840.8 R141a (Mod. Lang. & Ling.) Ramarosoa, Liliane. Anthologie de la littérature malgache d'expression française des années 80. Paris: L'Harmattan, 1994. 255 pp. Illustrated with engravings and drawings by Malagasy artists.
According to the preface, this may be the first general anthology of Francophone works by Malagasy authors, including well-known writers as well as lesser-known, promising writers of poetry, novels, theatre, and short stories. As an introduction to the texts, the author provides a brief "panorama" of Francophone literature in Madagascar. Excerpts from novels, play, and short stories are preceded by summaries of the works from which they were selected. Also includes a glossary of Malagasy words and cultural references (signaled in the texts by asterisks), bio-bibliographical notes on the authors, indexes of authors and themes, and a bibliography of primary texts.
899.3081 N629a (Mod. Lang. & Ling.) Nihry-Lanto Ramamonjisoa, Solotiana, ed. Anthologie bilingue de littérature malgache: Jupiter, Bruno Rahaingo, Ny Malodohasaha. Des transports de l'amour à l'engagement du militant. Paris: L'Harmattan, 2001. 183 pp.
This anthology is intended to provide international access to the works of three Malagasy poets whose engaged writing is representative of that of their contemporaries. The editor describes these writers as patriotic, but not nationalistic; to demonstrate this point, she has chosen to highlight the theme of love that is common to their poetry. These three poets wrote during different, critical time periods in the history of Malagasy literature--Jupiter (Justin Rainizababololona) was one of the first published Madagascans, writing at the beginning of the 20th century when the island became a French colony; Bruno Rahaingo (Nirhy-Lanto Rakotonindrina) wrote in the post-World War II era when Madagascan authors first demonstrated their political engagement through their writing; and Ny Malodohasaha (Narivelo Rajaonarimanana) wrote at the end of the 1960s, when activists lobbied for a new government, resulting in the fall of the first Republic of Madagascar in 1972. Includes a chronology of political events from 1895 to 1972, an introduction to the three poets and their works, dozens of poems in the original Malagasy side-by-side with their French translations, and a bibliography.
840.83 An8642. (Mod. Lang. & Ling.) Samlong, Jean-François. Anthologie du roman réunionnais. Paris: Seghers, 1991. 230 pp.
Contains brief biographies of and excerpts from works by 25 authors from Réunion, synopses of texts by 23 additional authors, a list of the authors and titles of several works situated in Réunion, a chronological bibliography of French and Creole texts published in Réunion from 1844 to 1990, and a list of critical studies, memoirs, and other works related to this literature. A useful introduction for those interested in the major authors and the scope of 19th- and 20th-century literature from Réunion.
Authors
Les Signets de la Bibliothèque Nationale
Links to various websites on Francophone literature of the Indian Ocean, including general sites and sites on authors. Last visited 12 November 2007.
809 Z38r 1983 (Mod. Lang. & Ling. Ref.) Zell, Hans M., Carol Bundy, and Virginia Coulon, eds. A New Reader's Guide to African Literature. 2nd ed. New York: Africana Publishing Company, 1983. 553 pp.
Annotated citations of works from and about English-speaking, Francophone, and Lusophone Africa, arranged primarily by country, and secondarily by authors' names. Works from and about Francophone West Africa, East and Central Africa, and the Indian Ocean islands are listed on pp. 225 to 297. The second part of the volume includes biographies of dozens of African authors. Includes an index of authors, editors, and critics cited.
Dialects
447.96982 L513m (Mod. Lang. & Ling. Ref.)
Lee, Jacques K. Mauritius: Its Creole Language. The Ultimate Creole Phrase Book and Dictionary. English-Creole Dictionary. London: Nautilus Publishing Co., 1999. 149 pp. with simple black-and-white maps.
The Mauritian Creole phrases provided in the first part of this book are organized in the following categories: "the basics" (pronunciation, possessive pronouns, question words, etc.); common words and phrases; arrival in Mauritius; at the hotel; eating and drinking; motoring and public transport; going shopping; family, relationships and people; sightseeing and sports; health; flora and fauna; and "miscellaneous." The second part treats special topics such as numbers and rhymes, idioms and slang, gastronomy, children's Creole, archaic French, and the history of Mauritius and its languages. The dictionary section lists English words in alphabetical order and gives their equivalents in Creole. Includes a bibliography.
General Bibliography
016.910091824 G714 (Oak Street Storage) Gotthold, Julia J., compiler, with Donald W. Gotthold. Indian Ocean. The World Bibliographical Series Volume 85. Oxford, England, and Santa Barbara, CA:CLIO Press, 1988.
A bibliography of the Indian Ocean, this book is useful for those seeking background knowledge of the area. Includes a chronology dating from initial exploration of the area by Egyptians in 2900-1090 B.C. up to 1985. Annotated bibliographical references are organized in the following main categories: History (including French exploration of the Ocean); Economic Resources; the Indian Ocean as a Strategic Military Area; Seapower and the Law of the Sea; Ocean Science; Atlases, Maps and Charts; Indian Ocean Educational and Scientific Institutions, and Sources for Research; Encyclopedias, Yearbooks, Indexes and Gazetteers; Periodicals; Bibliographies (general and scientific); and Indian Ocean Island Groups. Includes an index of authors, titles, and subjects and a black-and-white map of the Indian Ocean.
Photographs & Illustrations
Q. 969.81 G28I (Main Stacks) Gelabert, Serge. L'Ile de la Réunion: Un volcan dans l'Océan Indien. Saint-Denis: Livres Réunion, 1984. 152 pages. Color map and photographs; black-and-white illustrations.
This work offers stunning color photographs of Réunion, which would be well suited for class presentations. Beginning with impressive shots of volcanic eruptions from the 1980s, the volume also includes captioned pictures of the Plaine des Sables ("sand plain"), the coasts, the Piton du Maïdo (jagged hills), the Hermitage lagoon, the black sand beach at l'Étang Salé (translated literally, "Salted Pond"), waterfalls, trees, flowers, fruits, and the diverse population of the island. Also includes black-and-white lithographs that present retrospective looks at Réunion.
Links to websites on a broad variety of cultural aspects of Indian Ocean islands: cuisine, the fine arts, language, literature, music, travel, beliefs and traditions, flora and fauna, genealogy, coins and stamps, online yellow pages and gateways, associations, teaching institutions, government, the media, publishers and bookstores, and museums and cultural centers.
L'annuaire web de l'Océan Indien
Links to over 2,000 sites in several different categories, including news and the media, government institutions, art and culture, clubs and associations, leisure activities, economics and businesses, education, computer science and multimedia, children and adolescents, health and medicine, physical and social sciences, shopping, family and society, travel, and online yellow pages.
Malango: Océan Indien francophone
News, weather, and photos from Francophone Indian Ocean islands.
