Félix Morisseau-Leroy
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Félix Morisseau-Leroy (Haitian Creole: Feliks Moriso-Lewa; March 13, 1912 - September 5, 1998), was a Haitian writer who worked, often exclusively, in the Haitian Creole language, the first significant writer to do so. He adapted the classical Greek play Antigone for that language and culture, and worked successfully over the course of his life to get Haitian Creole recognized as a legitimate and educational language of Haiti. He is even credited with it becoming an official language of the country in 1961, and was guest speaker at an official ceremony upholding its status in 1991 when Aristide took control of the country's government.
Known more informally as "Moriso", he was a father of the Creole Renaissance, a broad movement to gain acknowledgement of the legitimacy of creole language in literature and culture. His writing prompted his exile from Haiti by his former classmate and friend Papa Doc Duvalier, who considered his work subversive, in 1959. He spent time in France, with the leaders of the Negritude movement, and moved to Africa, teaching in Ghana and heading their national theatre at the time that apartheid was ending there. He stayed there for seven years, then moved to Senegal until 1979, when he moved to Miami, Florida. In later years, his mop of a white-haired Afro became trademark, as did his sense of humor.
Born in Grand Gosier, he first studied in Jacmel, then Port-au-Prince, before earning a master's degree in literature from Columbia University in New York City. He worked as a lawyer and, ultimately, professor, as well as writer and journalist. Positions he held in his lifetime include that of director in the Haitian Ministry of Public Instruction and General Director of National Education.
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[edit] Influence
Moriso's influence can be not only felt indirectly via the impact of his Dyakout poems and other works (published in translation to at least six languages) on Creole, Haitian, and even French literature, as well as politically through the message of his words, but is also illustrated by the direct tributes given, including plays and poetry volumes dedicated to him, as well as a street in Miami.
[edit] Selected works
- Plénitudes (1940), compilation of poems
- Diacoute (1951), compilation of poems
- Natif-natal, short story in verse
[edit] References
- Schutt-Ainé, Patricia; Staff of Librairie Au Service de la Culture (1994). Haiti: A Basic Reference Book. Miami, Florida: Librairie Au Service de la Culture, p. 104. ISBN 0-9638599-0-0.
[edit] External links
- Geoffrey Philip on Felix Morrisseau
- Short "Famous Haitians" bio
- French biography, but also a significant bibliography
- Article on his translation of Antigone
- Poems by Felix, translated into English
- Program 5 of this page contains 5 video links of Morisseau speaking, his bio, his poetry
- Mèsi Papa Desalin - Poem in honor of Jean-Jacques Dessalines.
- Eminans, a story for singing english translation
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Morisseau-Leroy, Félix |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Moriso Lewa |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Haitian playwright and poet, raised status of Haitian Creole |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 13, 1912 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Grand Gosier, Haiti |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 5, 1998 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Miami, Florida, U. S. A. |
