Édouard Glissant et Derek Walcott : une vision fragmentée de l’histoire

Abstract

“It’s the same old story”. This phrase could be significant when studying Glissant’s and Walcott’s works. Why? Because even now history still raises many questions in the Caribbean area. For many native people from the West Indies, for instance, the historical problem induces psychological suffering. That is why many native writers have addressed the problem of identity. They have to deal with stereotypes and other traditional expressions such as “vos ancêtres les Gaulois”, that were used when referring to Black people during the Age of slavery. That is why history nowadays remains problematic. In their works, these authors refer to, or give an account of, many dramatic events. Each poem conveys the feelings of the poet: a passionate interest in some cases, but also mistrust in others. Glissant’s and Walcott’s poetry always reveals a particular attention to the historical process. As their poetry, especially Glissant’s, is based on many theoretical refiections, their works tackle the problem of knowing whether writing is able to translate the reality of history. Imagination and landscape mingle to recreate history. What is more, as they pay particular attention to the subjective dimension of historical memories, the writers question the representation of the past: a past that looks much like a palimpsest, because each fragment of memory is part of the texture of history.

Keywords

• memory
• oblivion
• identity
• Caribbean area
• language