Joseph Zobel
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Joseph Zobel (26 April 1915 – 18 June 2006) is the Martinican author of several novels and short-stories in which social issues are at the forefront. Although his most famous novel, ''La Rue Cases-Nègres'', was published some twenty years after the great authors of Negritude published their works, Zobel was once asked if he considered himself "the novelist of Negritude".Warner, Keith Q., 1979. Foreword: We All Had a M'man Tine. ''Black Shack Alley'', 1996. The novel was adapted for the screen by
Euzhan Palcy Euzhan Palcy (; born 13 January 1958) is a Martinican film director, screenwriter, and producer. Her films are known to explore themes of race, gender, and politics, with an emphasis on the perpetuated effects of colonialism. Palcy's first feat ...
in 1983 as '' Sugar Cane Alley''.


Biography


Literary beginnings and influences

Born in
Martinique Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...
, Joseph Zobel grew up with the support and unconditional love of his grandmother and his mother. His mother, Delia, was forced to work as a nanny for a
Béké Béké or beke is an Antillean Creole term to describe a descendant of the early European, usually French, settlers in the French Antilles, and more specifically in Martinique. Etymology The origin of the term is unclear, although it is attested t ...
s (white Creoles) family, the Des Grotte family, in
Fort-de-France Fort-de-France (, , ; ) is a Communes of France, commune and the capital city of Martinique, an overseas department and region of France located in the Caribbean. History Before it was ceded to France by Spain in 1635, the area of Fort-de-Fra ...
, the capital of
Martinique Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...
. Young Zobel was a brilliant student, earning himself a scholarship that allowed him to pursue an education and finish high school. After finishing his high school studies, he had hoped to study
architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...
in
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 ...
. Unfortunately, he did not have the funds or another scholarship to help pay for such endeavors. Instead, he got his first job with the
Corps of Bridges, Waters and Forests The ''Corps des Ingénieurs des Ponts, des Eaux et des Forêts'' (, in English "Corps of the Engineers of Bridges, Waters and Forests") is a technical Grand Corps of the French State ( grand corps de l'État). Its members, called ''ingénieurs des ...
which forced him to move closer to the water in South Martinique, specifically to the towns of
Diamant The Diamant rocket (French for "diamond") was the first exclusively French expendable launch system and at the same time the first satellite launcher not built by either the United States or USSR. As such, it has been referred to as being a key ...
and Saint-Esprit.“Joseph Zobel”, sur Île en Île, le site des littératures insulaires francophones (CUNY). His time in Diamant and Saint-Esprit allowed him to become well acquainted with the local fishermen and to learn more about their lifestyle, which would later influence his popular novel ''La Rue Cases-Nègres''. Despite gaining an appreciation for the lifestyle on the coast, he couldn't forget the values he grew up with in the more rural inland of Martinique. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, there was a blockade on the French West Indies preventing anybody, including Zobel, from leaving Martinique or traveling to France. While he was in Martinique, he worked as a teacher and then a school master of Lycée Victor-Schœlcher, a boarding school in Fort-de-France. In the meantime, he found ways to express himself by writing short stories. His friends would read the stories for him. One friend, a fellow physical education teacher, brought the stories to a newspaper called Le Sportif who published the stories with popular success. The Martiniquais appreciated Zobel’s stories because they accurately portrayed the habits and customs of the island and its people without exaggerating the exoticism of their lifestyle.
Aimé Césaire Aimé Fernand David Césaire (; ; 26 June 1913 – 17 April 2008) was a French poet, author, and politician from Martinique. He was "one of the founders of the Négritude movement in Francophone literature" and coined the word in French. He ...
, a young agrégé at the time, taught in the same high school as Zobel. He had an appreciation for Zobel’s writings and encouraged him to write a novel. Inspired by his experience working in the village of fishers in Diamant, Zobel wrote ''Diab’-là'' in 1942. It was a story about a peasant who decided to win his freedom by working the land near a community of fishermen. When Zobel first wanted to publish the novel, Martinique was governed by Admiral Robert, an authoritarian representative of the
Vichy government Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against ...
, delaying publication until 1947.Véronique Larose, “Pawol Kreyol». Joseph Zobel, artisan du Temps”, sur potomitan.info, site de promotion des cultures et des langues créoles.


Time in France and literary career

In 1946, Zobel took advantage of his administrative leave and went to Paris to continue his studies. In Sorbonne, he took courses in literature, dramatic art, and ethnology. Additionally, he earned a position as an assistant professor at the Lycée International François-Ier in
Fontainebleau Fontainebleau ( , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the Kilometre zero#France, centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a Subprefectures in Franc ...
. Settled in this city with his wife and three children, Zobel devoted the 1950s to intense literary activity and writing. He published numerous novels such as ''Les Jours Immobiles'' and ''La Fête à Paris''. He also wrote many poems which he recited at various festivals in France, Switzerland, and Italy. Most notably, in 1950, Zobel published one of his principle works, ''La Rue Cases-Nègres'', a story greatly influenced by his childhood and time in Martinique. The story recounts a child, without much experience in the world, and a grandmother, who is experienced but softens her perspective of the world, resulting in a rare testimony to the West Indian Black community at the time. The
Éditions Albin Michel Éditions Albin Michel is a French publisher. In January 2019, the new President and CEO is Gilles Haéri. In January 2022, the director is Anna Pavlowitch, the daughter of Paul Pavlowitch. History It was founded in 1900 by Albin Michel. They ...
refused to publish the text because of the Creole-inspired phrases. It was Alioune Diop who finally published ''La Rue Cases-Nègres'' in his newly created publishing house and magazine,
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 ...
. The novel proceeded to go down in history in France and in the African continent.Kidi Bebey, “La Rue Cases-Nègres passe par la case bande dessinée”, Le Monde, 30 March 2018.


Time in Africa

In 1957, Zobel, driven by his desire to know
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
, used his relationships with some
Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...
ese friends in Paris to find a way into the continent. He was recruited to become a college director by the Senegalese Minister of Education, Amadou Matar M’bow, as a college director at school of
Ziguinchor Ziguinchor (; ; ) is the capital of the Ziguinchor Region, and the chief town of the Casamance area of Senegal, lying at the mouth of the Casamance River. It has a population of 214,874 (2023 census). It is the eighth largest city of Senegal ...
(at present the Lycée Djignabo) in
Casamance Casamance is the area of Senegal south of the Gambia, including the Casamance River. It consists of the Lower Casamance (, —i.e. Ziguinchor Region) and the Upper Casamance (, —i.e. Kolda and Sédhiou Regions). The largest city of Casamance ...
. After a few years as a general supervisor of the Van Vollenhoven school in
Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...
, he became a producer of educational and cultural programs at the Radio of Senegal. His programs were heard throughout French-speaking West Africa. Some anecdotes of his experiences in Dakar are recounted in the collections of short stories ''Mas Badara'' (1983) and ''Et si la mer n’était pas bleue'' (1982).“L'écrivain Joseph Zobel est mort”, L'Obs, 19 June 2006.


Retirement and final publications

Retiring in 1974, Zobel settled in the village of
Générargues Générargues (; ) is a commune in the Gard department in southern France, around 10 km southwest of Alès. Geography Climate Générargues has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification ''Csa''). The average ann ...
where he continued to write and even rewrite some novels: ''Les Jours Immobiles'' became ''Les Mains pleines d’oiseaux'' and ''La Fête à Paris'' became ''Quand la neige aura fondu''. In 1995, Zobel published ''D’Amour et de Silence'', an art book of watercolors and some unpublished poems and extracts from his personal journal. His final publications were published in 2002: ''Gertal et autres nouvelles'', a novel combining unpublished texts and extracts from his personal journal which he held from 1946-2002; ''Le Soleil m’a dit'', a complete poetic work.


Works

His most famous novel, ''La Rue Cases-Nègres'' (often translated as ''Black Shack Alley'' or ''Sugar Cane Alley''), was published in Paris in 1950. The novel is an account of a young boy raised by his grandmother in a post-slavery - but still plantation-based - Martinique. The struggles of the impoverished cane-sugar plantation workers, and the ambitions of a loving grandmother who works hard to put the main character through school are the core focus of the novel, which also describes life in a colonial society. Zobel stated that the novel was his version of Richard Wright's ''
Black Boy ''Black Boy'' (1945) is a memoir by American author Richard Wright, detailing his upbringing. Wright describes his youth in the South: Mississippi, Arkansas and Tennessee, and his eventual move to Chicago, where he establishes his writing care ...
'' (1945), in that they are both semi-autobiographical. The novel was adapted for the screen by
Euzhan Palcy Euzhan Palcy (; born 13 January 1958) is a Martinican film director, screenwriter, and producer. Her films are known to explore themes of race, gender, and politics, with an emphasis on the perpetuated effects of colonialism. Palcy's first feat ...
in 1983 as '' Sugar Cane Alley''. While ''La Rue Cases-Nègres'' is Zobel's most renowned work, the author started his writing career in 1942 during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
with ''Diab-la'' (a tentative English title could be "The Devil's Garden"), a socially conscious novel similar to
Jacques Roumain Jacques Roumain Encarnación (; June 4, 1907 – August 18, 1944) was a Haitian writer, politician, and Marxist. He is considered one of the most prominent figures in Haitian literature. Langston Hughes translated some of Roumain's works, includ ...
's ''Masters of the Dew'' (published a year or more later). With ''Diab-la'', Zobel tells the powerful story of a sugar-cane plantation worker freeing himself from colonial exploitation by creating a garden in a fishermen's village of Southern Martinique. Leaving Martinique in 1946 to pursue ethnology and drama studies in Paris, Zobel spent some years in Paris and
Fontainebleau Fontainebleau ( , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the Kilometre zero#France, centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a Subprefectures in Franc ...
, before relocating to
Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...
by 1957. Writing a few short stories, he had a notable impact in the cultural life of French-speaking West Africa as a public radio producer. A noted poet and a gifted sculptor as well as a writer, Zobel retired to a small village in southern France in 1974. He died in
Alès Alès () is a Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture in the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania Regions of France, region in Southern France. Until 1926, i ...
in 2006.


Bibliography

* Bishop, Marie-France, et al. “Joseph Zobel.” ''Dictionnaire Des Écrivains Francophones Classiques : Afrique Subsaharienne, Caraïbe, Maghreb, Machrek, Océan Indien'', H. Champion, 2010, pp. 447–450, (). * Kesteloot, Lilyan. “Joseph Zobel.” ''Anthologie Négro-Africaine. Histoire Et Textes De 1918 à Nos Jours'', EDICEG, 2001, pp. 181–185. * Moigne, José Le. ''Joseph Zobel: Le Coeur En Martinique Et Les Pieds En Cévennes'', Ibis Rouge, 2008, p. 172, ().


References


External links


James Ferguson, "Joseph Zobel" (obituary)
''The Guardian'', 1 July 2006.
Reference Website on Joseph ZOBEL
(French Language). {{DEFAULTSORT:Zobel, Joseph 1915 births 2006 deaths 20th-century French male writers 20th-century French novelists French male novelists Martiniquais writers