Jacques Stephen Alexis is one of the most influential novelists and intellectuals of the 20th-century Francophone literary panorama. In the last century, not only his fictional works have contributed to the aesthetic renewal of Haitian prose, but also his critical texts have marked a turning point in the literary history of the country. In his theorisation on the novel, Alexis had the great merit, among other things, of recognising the role played by the first Haitian novelists in the evolution of the national novelistic production. Although he – like most critics – is very negative about certain authors, Alexis nevertheless manages to overcome the stubborn prejudice of their alleged lack of Haitianness and pays tribute to their works, whose literary value has long been overlooked. One example among many others: when speaking of the origins of Haitian literature, one must cite for historical reasons Stella, the first novel written by a Haitian; yet, specialists have often underestimated its literary value. Alexis, on the other hand, has gone so far as to assert that it is ‘the audacious beginning of marvellous realism’. This paper will attempt to highlight the exceptional dimension of this reading, which once again proves the critical acuity of one of Haiti’s greatest novelists.
Jacques Stephen Alexis lecteur des écrivains haïtiens du XIXe siècle
Silvia Boraso
2023-01-01
Abstract
Jacques Stephen Alexis is one of the most influential novelists and intellectuals of the 20th-century Francophone literary panorama. In the last century, not only his fictional works have contributed to the aesthetic renewal of Haitian prose, but also his critical texts have marked a turning point in the literary history of the country. In his theorisation on the novel, Alexis had the great merit, among other things, of recognising the role played by the first Haitian novelists in the evolution of the national novelistic production. Although he – like most critics – is very negative about certain authors, Alexis nevertheless manages to overcome the stubborn prejudice of their alleged lack of Haitianness and pays tribute to their works, whose literary value has long been overlooked. One example among many others: when speaking of the origins of Haitian literature, one must cite for historical reasons Stella, the first novel written by a Haitian; yet, specialists have often underestimated its literary value. Alexis, on the other hand, has gone so far as to assert that it is ‘the audacious beginning of marvellous realism’. This paper will attempt to highlight the exceptional dimension of this reading, which once again proves the critical acuity of one of Haiti’s greatest novelists.
I documenti in ARCA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
