Leon-Gontran Damas (March 28th 1912 - January 22nd 1978)

Amerindian white mongrel, , black, born in Guyana, cofounder of the movement of the Négritude with Césaire and Senghor, large amateur of Jazz, he published in 1937 Pigments , collection of poems where he revolts with violence against creole education, left “strait jacket” imposed by acculturation. It made in Paris studies of right then, with the École of the Eastern languages of Russian, Japanese and baoulé. One of its broad topics is the shame of the assimilation. Engaged in the policy, he was appointed of Guyana.

Biography

Was Leon Gontran Damas born with Cayenne, the last of the five children of Ernest Damas (1866-?), Mulatto European-African, and of Bathilde Damas (1878-1913), Mongrel Amerindian-African originating in Martinique. A sister binocular, Gabrielle, born a few front minutes, died in low-age. To died of his mother, her father entrusted their five children to his sister Gabrielle Damas. In 1924, Leon-Gontran was sent in Martinique for its secondary studies to the College Victor Schoelcher; it is there that it met Aimé Césaire which was going to be its friendly and collaborator close relation for a long time.

In 1929, it came to Paris for its higher learning. It is there that it met Léopold Sédar Senghor. In 1935, three young people published the first number of the literary review the Black Student , founder for what was going to be called the négritude, literary and ideological movement of French-speaking black intellectuals rejecting the Western, social and moral matter policy domination.

In 1937, Damas published its first book of poetry, Pigments . Damas engaged in the French Army during the Second world war, and was then appointed of Guyana (1948-1951). In the following years, he travelled and gave a little everywhere conferences in Africa, in the United States, in Latin America and in the Antilles. He was also one of the writers of African Présence, important periodical of studies black, and delegated near UNESCO for the African Société of Culture.

In 1970, Damas came to Washington DC, where he taught with Georgetown University, then became professor with the Université Howard. It remained there until its death in January 1978. It was buried in Guyana.

Quotation

Three rivers

three rivers run

three rivers run in my veins.

( Black-Label )

Works

Poetry

• Pigments . Paris: Guy Lévis Mano, (1937). Paris: African presence, (1962).
• negro Poems on African airs . Paris: Guy Lévis Mano, (1948).
• Graffiti . Paris: Seghers, (1952).
• Black-Label . Paris: Gallimard, (1956).
• Neuralgias . Paris: African presence, (1966).

Tests

• Return of Guyana . Paris: Jose Corti, (1938).

• Poets of French expression . Paris: Threshold, (1947).
• Negro Poems on African airs . Paris: G.L.M. Editors, (1948).

Tales

• Taken care black, Negro Tales of Guyana . Paris: Stock, 1943. Montreal/Ottowa: Leméac, (1972).

External bonds

• Choice of poems
• Presentation
• bibliographical Reference marks
• Leon-Gontran Damas, presentation of the author, complete bibliography (“island in island”).

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