Ina Césaire’s work is based on ethnographic observation in Martinique (an overseas French department in the Caribbean), and aims to conserve collective memory and local culture. Her writing has taken various forms: dialogue, fictional conversations, dramatic writing, and Creole folktales translated into French. Formally, it falls into three genres: essays, plays, narrative fiction. The creative work is largely grounded in memory preservation for her island, presenting oral traditions, imagining humble people’s roles in contemporary times or distant periods, and at times creating her own vision of historical figures such as Lafcadio Hearn or Toussaint Louverture. She has compiled ethnographic materials, traditional songs and has also made documentary films on subjects as diverse as…

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Citation: Makward, Christiane. "Ina Césaire". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 February 2017 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=13688, accessed 25 November 2024.]

13688 Ina Césaire 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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