Tale of Black Histories: A Translation and Critical Edition

Édouard Glissant has emerged as one of the major figures of 20th-century postcolonial literature, and his novels, poetry, and essays have been widely translated and studied. Little has been written, however, about his cultural and educational activism which informed and shaped his theoretical work. This edition sheds light on this chapter of Glissant’s career by translating and annotating the collaboratively composed and staged play, Histoire de Nègre, which he helped to write and perform while teaching at the Institute for Martinican Studies. Featuring borrowed texts from postcolonial literature, primary historical documents, Creole songs, new ensemble-based scenes, and Glissant’s original writing, Histoire de Nègre was created in 1970-1971 by a group of schoolteachers at the Institute and performed for thousands of working-class spectators throughout Martinique. The play tells a tale that crosses time and space to stage the histories of slavery, colonialism, and anti-black violence, and the people’s resistance against these forces. Our edition presents the first English-language translation of Histoire de nègre as well as documenting its complex historical and literary references, performance history, and place in its intellectual, literary, and theatrical contexts. Intellectually rich, formally innovative, yet long-neglected, Histoire de Nègre offers a privileged window into Glissant’s theatrical and educational activism, which formed the basis of his influential theoretical work Caribbean Discourse. The play exemplifies Glissant’s work as a theatre artist and educational activist, expanding our knowledge of his thought and legacy.