Maryse Condé (1934-2024)

[Abhi]

Maryse Condé, the French author from Guadeloupe, known for novels such as Segu (1984), I, Tituba: Black Witch of Salem (1986) and Tree of Life (1987), has passed away at the age of 90. Winner of the New Academy Prize in Literature in 2018, Condé was a perennial candidate for the Nobel Prize. Her works explore the ravages of colonial racism, with considerable focus on the African diaspora of the Caribbean. Many of Condé's works including the 1995 novel Windward Heights (a reworking of Emily Brontë's classic Wuthering Heights) and The Gospel According to the New World (2021) which was shortlisted for the 2023 Booker International Prize, have been translated into English by her husband Richard Philcox.

 

[Benny Profane]

May she rest in peace!

 

[OverTheMountains]

This is quite sad to hear. Earlier this year I read I, Tituba: Black Witch of Salem and I thought it was fantastic. By far the best structured of the three novels of hers that I've read. And it captured an anger about the world wonderfully, while also building one of my favourite characters in literature.

I was really starting to picture her as a strong contender for the Nobel after that one.

I'll definitely continue reading her works of fiction. She was a fantastic, poetic writer.

 

[Ben Jackson]

Sad to hear of the loss. Nominated Ugresic and Conde and both died few months after I nominated them for Wolfie. I think I'm going to retire?

 

[nagisa]

Sad to hear of the loss. Nominated Ugresic and Conde and both died few months after I nominated them for Wolfie. I think I'm going to retire?

Nominate Haruki Murakami ?

I Tituba and Segu are fantastic. I remember good rumblings in the French press about The Gospel According to the New World, and had it noted it on my to-read list. Very sad

 

[Daniel del Real]

It's so sad we have to place the adjective "Alternative" before Nobel Prize in 2018.
After all, she's a better writer than all the ones the real Academy has chosen from that date.

 

[Elie]

This is terrible news. She was an absolutely stunning writer. Segu and I, Tituba are up there among my favourite novels. I'm still looking forward to continuing to work my way through her catalogue, but it's sad that she'll never get the Nobel she so richly deserved.

 

[hayden]

It's excellent she got to live such a long life and received a notable uptick in recognition later in her career. Doesn't happen to everyone. I've only read I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem, but hope to get around to Segu one day (seems to usually be considered her opus).

I still think the alt-Nobel thing was a little silly, but suppose the money was real ?‍— think it killed her chances at the real thing unfortunately.

Anyone here have any opinions on her novel Crossing the Mangrove?