Édouard Joseph Marc Maunick (23 September 1931 – 10 April 2021) was a

Mauritian Mauritians (singular Mauritian; ; Creole: ''Morisien'') are nationals or natives of the Republic of Mauritius and their descendants. Mauritius is a melting pot of multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious peoples. Mauritian is made up ...

poet, critic, and translator.

Biography

Maunick was a métis or

mulatto ( , ) is a Race (human categorization), racial classification that refers to people of mixed Sub-Saharan African, African and Ethnic groups in Europe, European ancestry only. When speaking or writing about a singular woman in English, the ...

, and as such was the subject of discrimination from both blacks and whites. He worked briefly as a librarian in

Port-Louis Port Louis (, ; or , ) is the capital and most populous city of Mauritius, mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's financial and political centre. It is ad ...

before going to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1960, where he wrote, lectured, and directed for Coopération Radiophonique. He was also a frequent contributor to ''

Présence Africaine ''Présence Africaine'' (French for ''African Presence'') is a pan-African quarterly cultural, political, and literary magazine, published in Paris, France, and founded by Alioune Diop in 1947. In 1949, ''Présence Africaine'' expanded to include ...

'' and other journals. Maunick's work was based not in the more traditional search for roots to establish an individual identity. Instead, he lamented his own isolation and the persecution of his people in poetry collections such as C. On 16 October 2003 Edouard Maunick received the

Grand prix de la francophonie The Grand Prix de la francophonie is presented annually by the Académie française at the initiative of the Canadian Government to a personality who contributes to the development of the French language throughout the world. Laureates * 1986: ...

, awarded by the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

. He won the 1977

Prix Guillaume Apollinaire The prix Guillaume Apollinaire is a French poetry prize first awarded in 1941. It was named in honour of French writer Guillaume Apollinaire. It annually recognizes a collection of poems for its originality and modernity. Members of the jury The ...

for ''Ensoleillé vif''.

Family

Édouard Maunick grew up with his siblings Ursule, Jacques, Antoine (Tony RIP), Jean, Marie and Gérard in

British Mauritius Mauritius was a Crown colony off the southeast coast of Africa. Formerly part of the French colonial empire, British rule in Mauritius was established ''de facto'' with the invasion of Isle de France in November 1810, and ''de jure'' by the sub ...

. Édouard Maunick's elder sister Lady Ursule Ramdanee is Kobita Jugnauth's mother. Jacques Maunick is a journalist, radio presenter and a former director of MBC Radio. Youngest sibling Gérard Maunick is an established award winning songwriter, recording artist and Musician now based in Australia. https://www.guitargods.com.au/guitarists/gerard-maunick.html Édouard’s sons, Jean-Paul and Olivier are also musicians and songwriters. Jean-Paul (Bluey) is a world wide record producer and the founder of the UK band

Incognito Incognito is an English adjective meaning "in disguise", "having taken steps to conceal one's identity". Incognito may also refer to: Film and television Film * ''Incognito'', a 1915 film featuring Rae Berger * ''Incognito'' (1937 film), a Dan ...

. Bluey is based in the UK whilst his younger brother Olivier has established himself in Paris (France). Édouard’s Daughter also lives in the UK (minutes away from her mother and brother, Jean-Paul)

References

Sources

Édouard J. Maunick
biography, bibliography, links and recordings of the poet reading his work (in French; Île en île).

One hundred creative artists who have chosen France - Edouard Maunick, the marriage of French and Creole.

20th-century Mauritian writers 1931 births 2021 deaths 21st-century Mauritian writers Mauritian poets Prix Guillaume Apollinaire winners {{Mauritius-writer-stub