La Fontaine, Camus, Ernaux… The great works of French literature translated into Creole

Fables by Jean de La Fontaine, At Place by Annie Ernaux, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Guerre by Louis-Ferdinand Céline… Over the centuries, great works have left their mark on French literature and have even found international success. From now on, these Books can also be found in overseas bookstores, on the “Books in Creole” shelves.

On the occasion of the International Day of Creole Language and Culture, this Monday, October 28, a new work is added to the list of titles translated into an overseas regional language: Orphie editions, based in Reunion, are publishing Letrandéora translation into Reunion Creole by Jean-Louis Robert de The Stranger by Albert Camus. A first for the publishing house which is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

Albert Camus’ work, sold millions of copies around the world, was already available in Martinican Creole, published by Caraïbéditions, a West Indian publishing house which recently translated the Nobel Prize winner for literature Annie Ernaux. This time, it is the practitioners of Reunion Creole who will be able to discover Letrandéorwith this first sentence of the novel which has become emblematic: “Today, I want to die”, “Today, mom died”.

Specializing in overseas literature, Éditions Orphie were directly approached by the author, Jean-Louis Robert, a former literature teacher marked by the text when he was in high school. “What better way to reread a book than to translate it into your native language?”rejoiced the translator in a bookstore in Saint-Denis de La Réunion, Saturday, on the occasion of the presentation of the book.

He is no stranger to the translation of great works of literature. In 2022, the Reunionese had already translated the Fables de La Fontaine in Reunion Creole. Which gave: Man is like an animal and vice versa (Editions K’A).

“There is more and more a demand to have great literary works translated into Creole”indicates Michael Michau, general director of Éditions Orphie. A craze driven by the democratization of overseas regional languages, increasingly taught in schools.

If great authors already exist in Creole versions – this is the case, for example, of the poet Gustave Flaubert (An Tjê San Gam (A Simple Heart)Caraïbéditions), or even a few Asterix albums – many writers are still missing from the “Creole” shelves in bookstores. Émile Zola, Victor Hugo and even Marguerite Duras are missing.

“The translation must be the wish of the author, he must be comfortable”explains Michael Michau. Because there are not very many Creole-speaking translators. “But I think it will come”hopes the publisher. His plan is to offer new works translated into Reunion, Guadeloupean or Martinican Creole in the coming months. Like texts by Voltaire, for example.