Léon Damas
Encyclopedia
Léon-Gontran Damas was a French
poet
and politician
. He was one of the founders of the Négritude
movement.
, French Guiana
to Ernest Damas, a mulatto
of European and African descent and Bathilde Damas, a Métis
se of native American and African ancestry. In 1924, Damas was sent to Martinique
to attend the Lycée Victor Schoelcher (a secondary school) where he would meet his lifelong friend and collaborator Aimé Césaire
.
In 1929, Damas moved to Paris to continue his studies. In Paris, he reunited with Aimé Césaire and was introduced to Leopold Senghor. In 1935, the three young men published the first issue of the literary review L'Étudiant Noir (The Black Student), which provided the foundation for what is now known as the Négritude
Movement, a literary and ideological movement of French-speaking black intellectuals which rejects the political, social and moral domination of the West.
In 1937, Damas published his first volume of poetry, Pigments. Damas enlisted in the French Army
during World War II
, and later was elected to the French National Assembly
(1948–1951) as a deputy from Guiana. In the following years, Damas traveled and lectured widely in Africa, the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean. He also served as the contributing editor of Présence Africaine
, one of the most respected journals of Black studies, and as senior adviser and UNESCO
delegate for the Society of African Culture.
In 1970, Damas moved to Washington DC, where he taught at Georgetown University
and later became a professor at Howard University
where he wrote his last collection of poems, Mine de Rien. Damas remained at Howard University until his death in January 1978. He was buried in French Guiana.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He was one of the founders of the Négritude
Négritude
Négritude is a literary and ideological movement, developed by francophone black intellectuals, writers, and politiciansin France in the 1930s by a group that included the future Senegalese President Léopold Sédar Senghor, Martinican poet Aimé Césaire, and the Guianan Léon Damas.The Négritude...
movement.
Biography
Léon Damas was born in CayenneCayenne
Cayenne is the capital of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic coast. The city's motto is "Ferit Aurum Industria" which means "Work brings wealth"...
, French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
to Ernest Damas, a mulatto
Mulatto
Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black...
of European and African descent and Bathilde Damas, a Métis
Métis
A Métis is a person born to parents who belong to different groups defined by visible physical differences, regarded as racial, or the descendant of such persons. The term is of French origin, and also is a cognate of mestizo in Spanish, mestiço in Portuguese, and mestee in English...
se of native American and African ancestry. In 1924, Damas was sent to Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
to attend the Lycée Victor Schoelcher (a secondary school) where he would meet his lifelong friend and collaborator Aimé Césaire
Aimé Césaire
Aimé Fernand David Césaire was a French poet, author and politician from Martinique. He was "one of the founders of the négritude movement in Francophone literature".-Student, educator, and poet:...
.
In 1929, Damas moved to Paris to continue his studies. In Paris, he reunited with Aimé Césaire and was introduced to Leopold Senghor. In 1935, the three young men published the first issue of the literary review L'Étudiant Noir (The Black Student), which provided the foundation for what is now known as the Négritude
Négritude
Négritude is a literary and ideological movement, developed by francophone black intellectuals, writers, and politiciansin France in the 1930s by a group that included the future Senegalese President Léopold Sédar Senghor, Martinican poet Aimé Césaire, and the Guianan Léon Damas.The Négritude...
Movement, a literary and ideological movement of French-speaking black intellectuals which rejects the political, social and moral domination of the West.
In 1937, Damas published his first volume of poetry, Pigments. Damas enlisted in the French Army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and later was elected to the French National Assembly
French National Assembly
The French National Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of France under the Fifth Republic. The upper house is the Senate ....
(1948–1951) as a deputy from Guiana. In the following years, Damas traveled and lectured widely in Africa, the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean. He also served as the contributing editor of Présence Africaine
Présence Africaine
Présence africaine is a panafrican quarterly cultural, political, and literary magazine, published in Paris and founded by Alioune Diop in 1947. In 1949, Présence africaine expanded to include a publishing house and a bookstore on the rue des Écoles in the Latin Quarter of Paris...
, one of the most respected journals of Black studies, and as senior adviser and UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
delegate for the Society of African Culture.
In 1970, Damas moved to Washington DC, where he taught at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
and later became a professor at Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
where he wrote his last collection of poems, Mine de Rien. Damas remained at Howard University until his death in January 1978. He was buried in French Guiana.
Poetry
- Pigments. Paris: Guy Lévis Mano, (1937). Paris: Présence Africaine, (1962).
- Poèmes nègres sur des airs Africains. Paris: Guy Lévis Mano, (1948).
- Graffiti. Paris: Seghers, (1952).
- Black-Label. Paris: Gallimard, (1956).
- Névralgies. Paris: Présence Africaine, (1966).
- Mine de Rien. collection of 36 poems. Washington, DC (1977).
Essays
- Retour de Guyane. Paris: José Corti, (1938).
- Poètes d’expression française. Paris: Seuil, (1947).
- Poèmes Nègres sur des airs africains. Paris: G.L.M. Éditeurs, (1948).
Stories
- Veillées noires, Contes Nègres de Guyane. Paris: Stock, 1943. Montréal: Leméac, (1972).
Recordings
- Poesie de la Negritude: Léon Damas Reads Selected Poems from Pigments, Graffiti, Black Label, and Nevralgies (Folkways RecordsFolkways RecordsFolkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
, 1967)
External links
- http://www.english.emory.edu/Bahri/Damas.html biography, by Rochelle M. Smith, Postcolonial Studies website, English Department, Emory University. 2001 .
- Poesie de la Negritude - Album Details on FolkwaysFolkwaysFolkways can refer to:*Folkways —theory by the sociologist William Graham Sumner.*Folkways Records—a record label founded by Moe Asch....