Rene Depestre is a celebrated and interesting poet from Haiti. He was born in Jacmel, Haiti on August 29, 1926 and was educated at Petion College, and at the Sorbonne (1946-1950).
As a result of his participation in the student-led movements of 1946, during the presidency of Elie Lescot, Depestre was imprisoned and experienced exile.
He lived in Cuba during two different periods: He was first invited by Nicolas Guillen, and later by Che Guevara. Depestre's stay in Cuba led to his writing being influenced by Alejo Carpentier's magical realism. He was also a founder of Casa de las Americas.
Rene Depestre has a vast collection of writings, and in addition to poetry, he has written novels, essays and journal articles. Below is a sampling of Depestre's writings:
After leaving Cuba, Depestre worked for UNESCO until his retirement to France in 1986. Depestre travelled extensively throughout Europe, South America and Asia.
As a result of his participation in the student-led movements of 1946, during the presidency of Elie Lescot, Depestre was imprisoned and experienced exile.
He lived in Cuba during two different periods: He was first invited by Nicolas Guillen, and later by Che Guevara. Depestre's stay in Cuba led to his writing being influenced by Alejo Carpentier's magical realism. He was also a founder of Casa de las Americas.
Rene Depestre has a vast collection of writings, and in addition to poetry, he has written novels, essays and journal articles. Below is a sampling of Depestre's writings:
- Etincelles (1945)
- Gerbe de sang (1946)
- Un arc-en-ciel pour l'Occident chretien (1967)
- Poet in Cuba (1973)
- Le Mat de Cocagne (1979) - a novel
- Alleluia pour une femme-jardin (1980)
- Hadriana in All My Dreams (1988)
After leaving Cuba, Depestre worked for UNESCO until his retirement to France in 1986. Depestre travelled extensively throughout Europe, South America and Asia.
2 comments:
Wow, what a well-traveled and interesting poet. Thank you for introducing us to him, Yasmin! I was first introduced to magical realism as a genre upon reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Isabel Allende, two enchanting writers.
Blessings to you and yours...
Janette,
Thanks for your comment. Rene Depestre is such an interesting poet. I am really glad to expose the poetry and poets of Haiti, which I am learning more about each day. I just love Marquez and Allende. I actually was introduced to magical realism when I first read Carpentier's El Reino de Este Mundo (The Kingdom of this World) as a part of my Spanish Literature course.
Post a Comment