Poet and author René Maran (1887-1960) rose to fame as the first black recipient of the

Prix Goncourt

for his inaugural novel,

Batouala

(1921). Its unprecedented exposé of the conflict and contradictions inherent in France’s civilising mission in French Equatorial Africa [note 1] paved the way for a new sense of self among French speakers of African descent and established René Maran as the founding father of black literature in French.

Born 5 November 1887 in Fort-de-France (Martinique), to French Guyanese parents, René Maran’s African childhood began at age three when his father, a colonial officer, took up a commission in Gabon. At age six he was enrolled at boarding school in Talence, Bordeaux. He continued his French education at Bordeaux’s Montaigne High School

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Citation: Allen, Susan Isabelle. "René Maran". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 July 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=13400, accessed 29 March 2024.]

13400 René Maran 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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