Shenaz Patel (born July 29, 1966) is 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 ...

writer and politician.

Early life and education

She was born in the town of Rose Hill, Mauritius and writes in both French and Mauritian Creole. She did her secondary studies at Lycée La Bourdonnais. Subsequently, she obtained her degree in Modern Literature from the Université de la Réunion in 1986.

Career

Patel was one of a group of Mauritian writers who founded the literary journal ''Tracés''. She has translated two

Tintin Tintin usually refers to: * ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé ** Tintin (character), the protagonist and titular character of the series Tintin or Tin Tin may also refer to: Material related to ''The A ...

stories into Creole: ''Le Secret de la Licorne'' and ''Trésor de Rackham le Rouge''. Her first play ''La phobie du caméléon'' was awarded the Prix Beaumarchais. In 2014, Vents d'ailleurs published her novella ''Paradis Blues'', which is written in French with Creole interspersed through the narration. In 2016, she was a participant in the International Writing Program's Fall Residency at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

, in

Iowa City Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's fifth-most populous city. The Iowa City metropolitan area, which enc ...

, IA.

Selected works

Novels

* ''Le Portrait Chamarel'' (2002), received the Prix Radio-France du livre de l'Océan Indien * ''Sensitive'' (2003), received the Prix du Roman francophone * ''Le Silence des Chagos'' (2005), received the Prix Soroptimist de la Romancière francophone * ''Paradis Blues'' (2014)

Stories

* "À l'encre d'un nom" in ''Au tour des Femmes'' (1995) * "Ille était une fois" in ''Maurice, demain et après'' (1996) * "Do-do, l'enfant" in ''Histoires d'enfants'' (1999) * "Marée noire" in ''Nocturnes'' (2000) * "Zistwar mistran" in ''Nouvelles de l'étrange'' (2001), Creole * "Nous avons pris des bateaux" and "Anvolé" (Creole) in ''Voyages'' (2002) * "Désir de mer" and "Lamer inn fermé" (Creole) in ''En mer'' (2004) * "Incroyable, dites-vous" and "Si ziraf pa kapav anvalé" (Creole) in ''Histoires incroyables'' (2007) * "Zistwar sosouri" in ''Zistwar zanimo'' (2010), Creole * "L'envers du ciel" in ''De l'autre côté du ciel'' (2011)

Play

* ''La Phobie du Caméléon'', 2005

Translations

*''Rakam Ti-Rouz'', translation in Mauritian Creole of the Tintin album Red Rackham's Treasure * ''Esper Godo'', a translation into Mauritian Creole of

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...

's ''Waiting for Godot''

Literary Awards and distinctions

Patel has been awarded the following honours:

References

1966 births Living people Mauritian novelists Mauritian translators Translators to Mauritian Creole Mauritian dramatists and playwrights Mauritian women writers Mauritian women novelists Mauritian women short story writers Women dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Mauritian writers 21st-century women writers Mauritian people of Indian descent Mauritian people of Gujarati descent {{Mauritius-writer-stub