Come read Maryse Condé with me in 2021

Maryse Condé no longer needs introduction. She is an essential element of Guadeloupean, Caribbean, French and world literature of the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century. I grew up reading her books. I know I enjoyed them but I had only vague memories of them once I reached adulthood. For me, Maryse Condé is a bit like Kassav'. Their quality of their art has been of internationally recognized for as long as I have existed. But do we appreciate them out of habit, out of nostalgia or because we really give value to their work?

After a dozen years of avoiding non-academic reading, I began to read the classics and contemporary authors of the literature from the English-speaking Caribbean. In 2021, it is important for me to define my notion of what is a classic according to the literature created where I was born. And who else but Maryse Condé could serve as an ideal starting point? I therefore propose the #condéchallenge so that we can discuss our readings throughout the year either on Instagram or Twitter. On the first Sunday of each month, I will give you my reading review. The goal is to be entertained and to (re)discover the bibliography of one of the greatest authors of our time.

If you don't know where to start or if you're looking for novels to read, you can pick from my digital reading program available below. Titles are in French but the ones with * are available in English and you can find also her bibliography on her Wiki page. It baffles me that her Ségou saga isn’t available as an ebook…

See you on February 7th 2021 !