View source for Literature of Madagascar

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The '''literature of Madagascar''' encompasses the oral and written literary arts of the [[Malagasy people]].
==Oral literary traditions==
A wide range of oral literary traditions have developed in [[Madagascar]]. One of the island's foremost artistic traditions is its [[hainteny|oratory]], as expressed in the forms of ''hainteny'' (poetry), ''kabary'' (public discourse) and ''ohabolana'' (proverbs).{{sfn|Fox|1990|p= 39}}<ref name="Madatana">{{cite web|last=Ravalitera |first=P. |title=Origine Confuse des Vazimba du Betsiriry |work=Journal Express |publisher=Madatana.com |url=http://www.madatana.com/article-origine-confuse-des-vazimba-du-betsiriry.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714013534/http://www.madatana.com/article-origine-confuse-des-vazimba-du-betsiriry.php |access-date=11 November 2010 |archive-date=14 July 2011 |language=fr |url-status=dead }}</ref>  An epic poem exemplifying these traditions, the ''[[Ibonia]]'', has been handed down over the centuries in several different forms across the island, and offers insight into the diverse mythologies and beliefs of traditional Malagasy communities.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ibonia: the text in 17 sections |last=Unknown |publisher=University of Virginia |access-date=15 November 2010 |url=http://xroads.virginia.edu/~Public/Ibonia/text.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605051817/http://xroads.virginia.edu/~Public/Ibonia/text.html |archive-date=5 June 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  In addition to these artistic traditions, oral histories were passed down across generations. Many stories, poems and histories were retold in musical form. The concept of poetry in traditional Malagasy oral literary traditions is inseparable from song, as demonstrated by the Malagasy words for "poem" - ''tononkira'' and ''tononkalo'' - which are formed by combining ''tonony'' (words) with ''hira/kalo'' (song).<ref name = Razaimiandrisoa>{{cite journal |last = Razaimiandrisoa | first = Nirina | title = Dox, poète et traducteur? | journal = Études Océan Indien | volume = 40-41 | pages = 187–212 | year = 2008 | issue = 40–41 | access-date = 25 June 2014 | url= http://oceanindien.revues.org/1401 |doi = 10.4000/oceanindien.1401 | language = fr | doi-access = free }}</ref>
==Early written works==
Arcane knowledge of various kinds, relating to religious rites, herbal medicine and other privileged knowledge, were traditionally recorded by ''ombiasy'' (wise men) using the ''[[sorabe]]'', an Arabic script adapted to transcribe the Malagasy language. It was introduced by Arab sailors between the 7th and 10th centuries.  These earliest written works were only made to be seen by the ''ombiasy'' and were not disseminated. Malagasy sovereigns customarily kept ''ombiasy'' advisers and were occasionally instructed to read and write in the sorabe script, and may have used it for a wider range of purposes, although few sorabe documents survive to the present.
Elements of oral history and traditional oratory were documented by British and French visitors to the island. The first Malagasy historian was [[Raombana]] (1809–1855), one of the first pupils of the [[London Missionary Society]] school at the [[Rova of Antananarivo]], who documented early 19th century [[Merina people|Merina]] history in English and Malagasy. The ''[[Tantara ny Andriana eto Madagasikara]]'', a compilation of the oral history of the Merina sovereigns, forms another major source of knowledge about traditional highland society and was collected and published in the late 19th century by a Catholic priest residing in the highlands.
==Malagasy literature==
Written, western-inspired literary arts developed in Madagascar shortly after colonization, with its initial emergence in the 1906-1938 period, which can be divided into four phases. The first phase is known as ''miana-mamindra'' (learning to walk) in Malagasy and extended from 1906-1914. During this time, a first wave of artists began writing poetry, novels and journals in the European style. In line with the French separation of church and state, these artists self-identified as ''mpino'' (believers) who were inspired by religious themes, and the ''tsy mpino'' (non-believers) who were more deeply inspired by their imagination. Many of these artists were members of [[Vy Vato Sakelika]], a cultural organization with secret nationalist objectives. The French administration's discovery of the group's intent and consequent exile of many of its members created a veritable gap in the development of literature on the island from 1915 to 1922. The second phase, from 1922 to 1929, saw artists explore the Malagasy themes of ''embona sy hanina'' (nostalgia). This was followed by a third phase focused on ''ny lasa'' (a return to origins). The fourth phase, ''mitady ny very'' (the search for what's been lost) began in 1932. These themes illustrate the larger theme of lost identity, alienation and nostalgia for the past that emerged from the experience of colonization. These were followed in 1934-1938 by the theme of ''hita ny very'' (the lost is found).<ref name = Razaimiandrisoa/>
The artists writing throughout the 1906-1938 period are known in Madagascar by two terms: the ''mpanoratra zokiny'' (elders), principally born under the former [[Merina people|Merina]] [[Ranavalona III|monarchy]], and the ''mpanoratra zandriny'' (juniors) who were born under the French administration and were typically driven to recapture and celebrate the past before colonization.<ref name = Razaimiandrisoa/>
The first modern African poet, a Merina named [[Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo]] (1901 or 1903–1937), gained celebrity for blending surrealist, romantic and modernist poetic forms with elements of traditional Malagasy oratory, as well as his suicide by cyanide in 1937. Rabearivelo was also among the first to publish historical novels and wrote Madagascar's only Western-style opera.{{sfn|Rabearivelo|2007|p = x}} This blending of Western and traditional influence in the literary arts was carried on by such artists as [[Elie Rajaonarison]], an exemplar of the new wave of Malagasy poetry.{{sfn|Auzias|Labourdette|2007|p= 142}} Other notable poets include [[Jacques Rabemananjara]], Pierre Randrianarisoa, Georges Andriamanantena (Rado), [[Dox (poet)|Jean Verdi Salomon Razakandraina (Dox)]] and others. Leading authors include [[Jean-Luc Raharimanana]], [[Michèle Rakotoson]], [[Clarisse Ratsifandrihamanana]], David Jaomanoro, Solofo Randrianja, Emilson Daniel Andriamalala and Celestin Andriamanantena. A number of comic books have also been created by Malagasy authors such as Anselme Razafindrainibe (1956–2011).
Many Malagasy literary artists have placed great emphasis on promoting and celebrating both the beauty and versatility of the Malagasy language and the richness of Malagasy oral traditions.<ref name = Razaimiandrisoa/>
==Malagasy literary artists==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Elie-Charles Abraham]] (1919– ), poet.{{sfn|Schirmer|Gikandi|2013|p= }}
* [[Georges Andriamanantena (Rado)]], poet.
* [[David Jaomanoro]] (1953– ), poet, short story writer and playwright.<ref>{{cite web|author=Thomas C. Spear |url=http://www.lehman.cuny.edu/ile.en.ile/paroles/jaomanoro.html |title=David Jaomanoro |publisher=Lehman.cuny.edu |date= 26 November 2000  | access-date=11 November 2011 }}</ref>
* [[Esther Nirina]] (1932– ), poet.{{sfn|Schirmer|Gikandi|2013|p= }}
* [[Hajasoa Vololona Picard-Ravololonirina]] (1956– ), academic, politician and poet.{{sfn|Schirmer|Gikandi|2013|p= }}
* [[Jean Joseph Rabearivelo|Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo]] (1903–1937), poet and novelist.{{sfn|Schirmer|Gikandi|2013|p= }}{{sfn|Killam|Rowe|2000|p=}}
* [[Jacques Rabemanajara]] (1913– ), poet, playwright and politician.{{sfn|Killam|Rowe|2000|p=}}
* [[Raymond William Rabemananjara]] (1913– ), historian and writer.{{sfn|Schirmer|Gikandi|2013|p= }}
* [[Charlotte Arisoa Rafenomanjato]] (1938– ), writer and translator.{{sfn|Schirmer|Gikandi|2013|p= }}
* [[Jean-Luc Raharimanana]] (1967– ), French-language writer.
* [[Elie Rajaonarison]] (1951–2010), poet, playwright, translator and photographer.
* [[Regis Rajemisa-Raolison]] (1913– ), poet and educator.{{sfn|Schirmer|Gikandi|2013|p= }}
* [[Michele Rakotoson]] (1948– ), novelist, short story writer and playwright.{{sfn|Schirmer|Gikandi|2013|p= }}
* [[Ny Avana Ramanantoanina]], poet.
* [[Flavien Ranaivo]] (1914– ), poet and writer.{{sfn|Schirmer|Gikandi|2013|p= }}
* [[Pierre Randrianarisoa]], poet.
* [[Dox (poet)|Jean Verdi Salomon Razakandraina (Dox)]], poet, novelist, playwright, translator and musician.
{{div col end}}
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
==Bibliography==
* {{cite book | last1 = Auzias | first1 = Dominique | first2 =Jean-Paul | last2 = Labourdette | title = Petit Futé: Madagascar 2008  | location = Paris | publisher = Petit Futé | year= 2007 | isbn = 978-2-7469-1982-2 |language = fr }}
* {{cite book | last = Fox | first = Leonard | title = Hainteny: the traditional poetry of Madagascar | publisher = Bucknell University Press  | year = 1990 | location = Lewisburg, PA | isbn = 978-0-8387-5175-6 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=EsMXOey7LYgC }}
* {{cite book | last1 = Killam | first1 = Douglas | first2 =Ruth | last2 =Rowe | title = The Companion to African Literatures  | location = Bloomington, IN | publisher = Indiana University Press | year= 2000 | isbn = 0-253-33633-3 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=4Xty33CsRBYC }}
* {{cite book | last1 = Schirmer | first1 = Robert  | first2 = Simon | last2 = Gikandi  | title = Encyclopedia of African Literature  | location = London | publisher = Routledge | year=2013  | isbn =9781134582235  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=hKmCAgAAQBAJ }}
* {{cite book | last1 = Rabearivelo | first1 = Jean-Joseph | title = Translated from the Night | location = Pittsburgh, PA | publisher = Lascaux Editions | year= 2007 |orig-year = 1936 (translation by Robert Ziller) | isbn = 978-1-60461-552-4 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=F-5I6QlMfJEC }}
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* {{cite book | last1 = Blair | first1 = Dorothy S.  | first2 = | last2 = | title = African Literature in French: A History of Creative Writing in French from West and Equatorial Africa  | location = Cambridge, UK | publisher = Cambridge University Press | year= 1976 | isbn = 9780521211956 |language = | url = https://archive.org/details/africanliteratur0000blai | url-access = registration}}
* {{cite book | last1 = Chipasula | first1 = Frank M  | title = Bending the Bow: An Anthology of African Love Poetry  | location = Carbondale, IL | publisher = Southern Illinois University Press | year=  2009 | isbn = 9780809386383 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=YQBrThtyKeYC  }}
* {{cite book | last1 = Kessler | first1 = Julius  | title = An Introduction to the Language and Literature of Madagascar: With Hints to Travellers and a New Map  | location = London | publisher = William Hunt & Co. | year=1870  | url = https://archive.org/details/anintroductiont00juligoog }}
* {{cite book | last1 = Klima  | first1 = Vladimir  | first2 = Ruzicka | last2 = Karel  |  first3 = Zima | last3 = Petr  |  title = Black Africa: Literature and Language  | location = Boston | publisher = Springer Science & Business Media | year= 1976 | isbn =  9789401017619 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=hAK5BgAAQBAJ }}
* {{cite book | last1 = McElroy | first1 = Colleen J.   | title = Over the Lip of the World: Among the Storytellers of Madagascar  | location = Seattle, WA | publisher = University of Washington Press | year=  1999 | isbn = 9780295978246 | url =https://archive.org/details/overlipofworldam00mcel  | url-access = registration }}
* {{cite book | last1 = Owomoyela | first1 = Oyekan  | title =  A History of Twentieth-century African Literatures | location = Lincoln, NE | publisher = University of Nebraska Press | year= 1993  | isbn =9780803286047  | url = https://archive.org/details/historyoftwentie00oyek | url-access = registration }}
* {{cite book | last1 = Parekh | first1 = Pushpa Naidu  | first2 = Jagne | last2 = Siga Fatima  | title = Postcolonial African Writers: A Bio-bibliographical Critical Sourcebook  | location = Westport, CT | publisher = Greenwood Press | year= 1998 | isbn = 9780313290565 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=lvI-Xw5CJdwC }}
* {{cite book | last1 = Peek  | first1 = Philip M.  | first2 = Yankah | last2 = Kwesi  | title = African Folklore: An Encyclopedia  | publisher = Routledge | year= 2004 | isbn = 9781135948726 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Sd6SAgAAQBAJ }}
* {{cite book | last1 = Ramamonjisoa | first1 = Solotiana Nirhy-Lanto | title = Anthologie bilingue de littérature malgache: Jupiter, Bruno Rahaingo, Ny Malodohasaha : des transports de l'amour à l'engagement du militant  | location =  Paris | publisher = Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales | year= 2001 | isbn = 9782747513593 |language = fr | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=OgWvNlD7dRQC }}
* {{cite book | last1 = Serrano | first1 = Richard | title =  Against the Postcolonial: Francophone Writers at the Ends of the French Empire | location = Lanham, MD | publisher = Lexington Books | year= 2006 | isbn = 9780739120293 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=5b-sbv0g_6UC  }}
* {{cite book | last1 = Watts | first1 = Richard  | title =  Packaging Post/coloniality: The Manufacture of Literary Identity in the Francophone World | location = Lanham, MD | publisher = Lexington Books | year= 2005 | isbn =  9780739108567 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=geYLJupXT-cC }}
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{{Africa topic|title=African Literature|prefix=Literature of}}
[[Category:Malagasy literature| ]]