Literature of Benin
Encyclopedia
Beninese literature had a strong oral tradition long before French
became the dominant language.
Felix Couchoro wrote the first Beninese
novel, L'Esclave in 1929
.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
became the dominant language.
Felix Couchoro wrote the first Beninese
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
novel, L'Esclave in 1929
1929 in literature
The year 1929 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Candide by Voltaire is declared obscene by the United States Customs and seized in 1930....
.
Notable Beninese writers
- Olympe Bhêly-QuénumOlympe Bhely-QuenumOlympe Bhêly-Quénum is a Beninese writer and journalist.Born in Ouidah, Benin, Bhêly-Quénum won the Grand prix littéraire de l'Afrique noire for Le Chant du lac in 1966.-Works:* Le Chant du lac...
- Jean PliyaJean Pliya- Life :Born in what was then Dahomey, Pliya was educated at the University of Dakar and then the University of Toulouse. He graduated from the second in 1957 and in 1959 returned to his homeland to teach. He went on to hold ministerial positions in the Benin government.- Work :His work often...
- Colette Senami Agossou HouetoColette Senami Agossou HouetoColette Sénami Agossou Houeto is an educator and a feminist poet. She attended the University of Strasbourg and later the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich. In Benin she served as Director of the National Institute of Training and Research into Education from 1977 to 1981. She also wrote a...
- Florent Couao-ZottiFlorent Couao-ZottiFlorent Couao-Zotti is a writer of comics, plays, and short stories, who lives in Cotonou, Benin. He is fond of employing the short-story as a form. He is also editor of several satirical magazines and a cultural columnist.-Publications:...
- Richard DogbehRichard DogbehRichard Dogbeh was a novelist and educator. He served as Benin's Directeur de Cabinet of the National Ministry of Education from 1963 to 1966...
- Adelaide FassinouAdelaide FassinouAdelaide H. Edith Bignon Fassinou is a Beninese writer and Benin's General Secretary for UNESCO. She has written four novels in French. Her married name is Allagbada.-Publications:...
- Paulin J. HountondjiPaulin J. HountondjiPaulin Hountondji is a Beninese philosopher and politician.Hountondji was educated at the Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, graduating in 1966, and taking his doctorate in 1970...
- Paulin JoachimPaulin JoachimPaulin Joachim is a Beninese poet, journalist, and editor. He was educated in several places including Lyon and by 1971 was a French citizen. He also worked with French poet Philippe Soupault. His two volumes of poetry are Un nègre raconte in 1954 and Anti-grâce in 1967...
- José PlivaJosé PlivaJosé Pliya is an actor, stage director, and playwright from Benin. In 2003 he won the Young Writers' Award from the Académie française.-References:...