Jean Joseph Rabearivelo
Encyclopedia
Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo is widely considered to be Africa's first modern poet. Born Joseph-Casimir, in Tananarive (now Antananarivo
), the capital of Madagascar
, just five years after the island nation had become a French
colony
, he was the only child of an unwed mother whose family wealth had been lost. At the age of 13, he was expelled from the College Saint-Michel for refusing to join the religious order; after briefly attending public school, he abandoned formal education and began working at various petty jobs which colonial society offered.
In 1924 he began work as a proofreader at the Imprimerie de l'Imerina, and though he was employed without pay for the first two years, he kept this low paying job for the rest of his life. To its credit, the printing house published several of Rabearivelo's book
s in limited editions, which was probably reason enough for him to stay there. In 1926, Rabearivelo married Mary Razafitrimo, an African photographer
's daughter, together they had five children.
In debt throughout his life, and even jailed for it, his financial woes were an admixture of low wages, gambling
, a love for acquiring books, and a sweet tooth for opium
. A voracious reader, and primarily self-taught, he edited anthologies of Malagasy
poetry and was involved in two literary periodicals, 18° Latitude Sud and Capricorne. Of about 20 literary works accounted for,
including poetry
, plays, fiction
, and literary criticism
, it appears that only half of his works were published at the time of his death. On the afternoon of June 23, 1937, after having dispatched letters of farewell, Rabearivelo took his own life with cyanide
, faithfully recording his final moments in his Calepins Bleu (Blue Notebooks), a personal journal of some 1,800 pages.
However, recent scholarship has questioned Rabearivelo’s elevation as a colonial martyr, arguing that the poet was by and large an assimilationist who did not even think of himself as black, chief among them Richard Serrano in Against the Postcolonial.It is notable, however, that these studies of Rabearivelo do not take his writings in Malagasy into account, which potentially limits the scope of their arguments.
and folkloric life of Madagascar. He absorbed French colonialist aspirations of being a Frenchman as well as a Malagasy, but was denied the opportunity to live and write in Paris
. Rabearivelo despaired after that refusal and committed suicide
in 1937.
Complete works are:
The first complete English
translation of his masterpiece Translated from the Night, translated by Robert Ziller, was published by Lascaux Editions - www.LascauxEditions.com in 2007. Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., American Book Award recipient, has written, "These translations read beautifully."
Antananarivo
Antananarivo , formerly Tananarive , is the capital and largest city in Madagascar. It is also known by its French colonial shorthand form Tana....
), the capital of Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, just five years after the island nation had become a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
, he was the only child of an unwed mother whose family wealth had been lost. At the age of 13, he was expelled from the College Saint-Michel for refusing to join the religious order; after briefly attending public school, he abandoned formal education and began working at various petty jobs which colonial society offered.
In 1924 he began work as a proofreader at the Imprimerie de l'Imerina, and though he was employed without pay for the first two years, he kept this low paying job for the rest of his life. To its credit, the printing house published several of Rabearivelo's book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s in limited editions, which was probably reason enough for him to stay there. In 1926, Rabearivelo married Mary Razafitrimo, an African photographer
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
's daughter, together they had five children.
In debt throughout his life, and even jailed for it, his financial woes were an admixture of low wages, gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
, a love for acquiring books, and a sweet tooth for opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
. A voracious reader, and primarily self-taught, he edited anthologies of Malagasy
Malagasy language
Malagasy is the national language of Madagascar, a member of the Austronesian family of languages. Most people in Madagascar speak it as a first language as do some people of Malagasy descent elsewhere.-History:...
poetry and was involved in two literary periodicals, 18° Latitude Sud and Capricorne. Of about 20 literary works accounted for,
including poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, plays, fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
, and literary criticism
Literary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
, it appears that only half of his works were published at the time of his death. On the afternoon of June 23, 1937, after having dispatched letters of farewell, Rabearivelo took his own life with cyanide
Cyanide
A cyanide is a chemical compound that contains the cyano group, -C≡N, which consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Cyanides most commonly refer to salts of the anion CN−. Most cyanides are highly toxic....
, faithfully recording his final moments in his Calepins Bleu (Blue Notebooks), a personal journal of some 1,800 pages.
Criticism
Rabearivelo has long been considered the key poet of modernity in the history of Madagascar, and has been the subject of a significant number of books and conferences. He has especially been depicted as a martyr-figure as a result of his suicide following the refusal of French authorities to grant him permission to go to France. Nonetheless, he was included in the seminal volume of poetry of the Negritude movement, Leopold Senghor’s Anthologie de la nouvelle poesie negre et malgache [Anthology of New Black and Malagasy Poetry].However, recent scholarship has questioned Rabearivelo’s elevation as a colonial martyr, arguing that the poet was by and large an assimilationist who did not even think of himself as black, chief among them Richard Serrano in Against the Postcolonial.It is notable, however, that these studies of Rabearivelo do not take his writings in Malagasy into account, which potentially limits the scope of their arguments.
Works
His work shows an affinity with both the Symbolist and Surrealist poets, while remaining strongly grounded in the geographyGeography of Madagascar
Madagascar is an island in the Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of southern Africa, east of Mozambique. It is the fourth largest island in the world. The highest point is Maromokotro, in the Tsaratanana Massif region in the north of the island, at . The capital Antananarivo is in the Hauts...
and folkloric life of Madagascar. He absorbed French colonialist aspirations of being a Frenchman as well as a Malagasy, but was denied the opportunity to live and write in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Rabearivelo despaired after that refusal and committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in 1937.
Complete works are:
- La coupe de cendres (1924)
- Sylves (1927)
- Volumes (1928)
- Enfants d'Orphée (1931)
- Presque-Songes (1934)
- Traduit de la Nuit (1935)
- Imaitsoanala (1935)
- Chants pour Abéone (1936).
The first complete English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation of his masterpiece Translated from the Night, translated by Robert Ziller, was published by Lascaux Editions - www.LascauxEditions.com in 2007. Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., American Book Award recipient, has written, "These translations read beautifully."
External Links
- Short biography in English (Bookrags).
- Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo, presentation of author (in French) by Claire Riffard, with bibliography and works of criticism ("île en île").