“Render Unto Césaire the Things That Are Caesar’s.” On the Neglected Interpretations of Postcolonial Voices Cover Image

„Oddać Césaire’owi, co cesarskie”. O pomijanych interpretacjach głosów postkolonialnych
“Render Unto Césaire the Things That Are Caesar’s.” On the Neglected Interpretations of Postcolonial Voices

Author(s): Agata Mrowińska
Subject(s): Comparative Study of Literature, French Literature, Other Language Literature, Theory of Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
Keywords: postcolonial literature; Caribbean literature; postcolonial critique; négritude; surrealism;

Summary/Abstract: This article examines the problem of interpretation of literature classified as postcolonial by Polish and European literary criticism along with the issue of giving voice to authors from the former colonies. The public image and the work of one of the most eminent authors of this kind of literature, the Martinique poet and politician Aimé Césaire, serves as an example. As a well-known representative of the négritude movement in the humanities, he became a victim of the concept that he himself created – an ideological, simplified understanding, popularized by other great figures of this movement, introduced a pattern that became obligatory when reading Césaire’s works. By proposing a rereading of the epic Notebook of a Return to the Native Land, the article attempts to overcome earlier analyses and the limitations of existing translations in order to accurately represent the voice that is inscribed into the text.

  • Issue Year: 16/2019
  • Issue No: 3
  • Page Range: 376-388
  • Page Count: 13
  • Language: Polish