Joseph Rene Noyau (1911-84) was a Creolophone and Francophone Mauritian writer and poet who wrote under a number of pseudonyms including Jean Erenne which he used for the poems in this collection. Noyau lived and wrote at a crucial time in the history of the island of Mauritius. He was a passionately committed man of letters and a pioneer of personal and literary freedom in the march to an independent Mauritius. This book presents a selection of Noyau's poems in their original French and in English translation. ~ Joseph Rene Noyau (1911-84), ecrivain et poete mauricien, creolophone et francophone, utilisait un bon nombre de pseudonymes. Les poemes de ce recueil sont signes Jean Erenne. Il vivait et ecrivait a une epoque critique de l'histoire de l'ile Maurice. Homme de lettres engage, il etait passionnement devoue a la liberte d'expression tant sur le plan personnel que litteraire, dans la marche vers une ile Maurice independante. Ce livre contient une selection bilingue de poemes de Noyau dans leur langue d'origine, le francais, et leur traduction en anglais. ~ From Peter Pegnall: 'There are many reasons to be fascinated by Rene Noyau... He cannot be pigeonholed in any particular style or subject matter, moves from the earthy to the ethereal, often in the same poem. A devotee of the surreal image, exotic and startling, he is also capable of a raw clarity that hammers home his meaning. Like many true artists, Rene was not the best custodian or promoter of his work and his native land was not entirely ready for his force or originality. The current volume is an effort to reach an audience he might never have imagined, to be a recognition and a discovery for years to come, crossing age and cultural barriers.'

The first translation into English of the poems of Francophone Mauritian writer Rene Noyau (1911-1984) The poems are presented in their original French as well as in English translation

About the Author
Gerard Noyau, third child of Rene Noyau, only came to his father's writings in 2010. This led to the publication in Mauritius of 4 volumes entitled Rene Noyau L'Oeuvre in 2012 and 2013. A chance meeting with Peter Pegnall, poet, about four years ago led him to start translating his father's poetry. ~ Ce n'est qu'en 2010 que Gerard Noyau, troisieme enfant de Rene Noyau, prit conscience de la valeur des ecrits de son pere. Le resultat fut une edition, a l'ile Maurice, de quatre volumes intitules Rene Noyau : L'OEuvre, en 2012 et 2013. Une rencontre fortuite avec le poete Peter Pegnall il y a environ 4 ans le mena a traduire les poemes de son pere.

Reviews
'It's a revelation to read this selection of Rene Noyau's passionate poems, an extraordinary window onto the life of a vivid intelligence in 20th-century Mauritian literature. The translations by Gerard Noyau with Peter Pegnall reveal a fascinating poetic development: from the strongly-felt early lyrics to the fierce inventive energy of the later surreal and political work-including the powerful 'Sega of Freedom'-this is work that feels admirably unafraid in all its intimacy and commitment' - JANE DRAYCOTT



Book Information
ISBN 9781909747852
Author Rene Noyau
Format Paperback
Page Count 108
Imprint Two Rivers Press
Publisher Two Rivers Press