Daniel Maximin
Geopoetics of the Caribbean
Francophone Writers in Dialogue with their Anglophone and Hispanophone Counterparts
Daniel Maximin, a writer from Guadeloupe, moved to Paris with his family at the age of thirteen. He studied at the Sorbonne and has since been an active teacher, editor, author and supporter of the arts. From 1980-1989, he was a literary editor for Présence Africaine, and also worked as a radio producer with France Culture. Upon his return to Guadeloupe, Maximin acted as the Regional Director of Cultural Affairs from 1989 until 1997. In addition, Maximin has served as an advisor to the French Ministry of Education, and has taught university courses on literature, culture and anthropology. He has been recognized as an Officier de la Légion d’Honneur (1993) and as an Officier des Arts et Lettres (2009) for his literary contributions and for his dedication to the promotion of the arts.
Maximin’s literary works include the novels L’Isolé soleil, Soufrières and L’Ile et une Nuit. He is also an accomplished poet and essayist, known for works such as Les Fruits du cyclone, une géopoétique de la Caraïbe (2006), L’Invention des Désirades (2009) and Aimé Césaire, frère volcan (2013).
This event is sponsored by the UW-Madison Department of French and Italian, the Center for Interdisciplinary French Studies, LACIS (the Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program), and the Center for European Studies with the generous support of La Maison Française.