Véronique Tadjo
Encyclopedia
Véronique Tadjo is a writer
, poet
, novelist, and artist
from Côte d'Ivoire
.
Born in Paris
, Véronique Tadjo was the daughter of an Ivorian civil servant and a French painter and sculptor. Brought up in Abidjan
, she travelled widely with her family. Tadjo completed her BA
degree at the University of Abidjan and her doctorate
at the Sorbonne
. She received the Literary Prize of L'Agence de Cooperation Culturelle et Technique in 1983 and the UNICEF Prize in 1993. Tadjo won the Grand Prix Littéraire d'Afrique Noire in 2005.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, 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...
, novelist, and artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
from Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
.
Born in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Véronique Tadjo was the daughter of an Ivorian civil servant and a French painter and sculptor. Brought up in Abidjan
Abidjan
Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
, she travelled widely with her family. Tadjo completed her BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree at the University of Abidjan and her doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
at the Sorbonne
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
. She received the Literary Prize of L'Agence de Cooperation Culturelle et Technique in 1983 and the UNICEF Prize in 1993. Tadjo won the Grand Prix Littéraire d'Afrique Noire in 2005.
Poetry
- Latérite (poems; Éditions Hatier "Monde noir Poche", 1984). Bi-lingual edition, Red Earth - Latérite (Washington University Press, 2006)
- A vol d'oiseau, Éditions Harmattan; 1986); translated as As The Crow Flies (AWS Heinemann, 2001)
- A mi-chemin (poems; Éditions Harmattan, 2000)
Novels
- Le Royaume aveugle (novel; Éditions Harmattan, 1991); translated by Janis MayesJanis MayesDr. Janis Alene Mayes is leading American author, literary critic,literary translator and professor in Africana literature. She has made literary contributions in French and English language literature in the African Diaspora. Her specialties are in french translation literary practices. She has...
as The Blind Kingdom (Ayebia Clarke Publishing, 2008) - Champs de bataille et d'amour (Éditions Présence Africaine; Les Nouvelles Éditions Ivoiriennes, 1999)
- L´ombre d´Imana: Voyages jusqu'au bout du Rwanda, Actes Sud, 2000); translated as The Shadow of Imana (Heinemann AWS, 2002)
- Reine Pokou (Actes Sud, 2005); translated as Queen Poku (Ayebia Clarke Publishing, 2009)
- Loin de mon père (Actes Sud, 2010)
Children's
- La Chanson de la vie (for children; 1990)
- Lord of the Dance: An African Retelling (Le Seigneur de la Danse; Nouvelles Editions Ivoiriennes, 1993; 1988)
- Grandma Nana (Grand-Mère Nanan; Nouvelles Editions Ivoiriennes, 1996; for children; 2000)
- Masque, raconte-moi (Nouvelles Editions Ivoiriennes)
- Si j´étais roi, si j´étais reine (Nouvelles Editions Ivoiriennes)
- Mamy Wata et le Monstre (Nouvelles Editions Ivoiriennes, 1993; Prix Unicef, 1993)
- Le Grain de Maïs Magique (Nouvelles Editions Ivoiriennes, 1996)
- Le Bel Oiseau et la Pluie (Nouvelles Editions Ivoiriennes, 1998)
- Nelson Mandela: "Non à L'Apartheid" (Actes Sud Junior, 2010)
- Ayanda, la petite fille qui ne voulait pas grandir (Actes Sud Junior, 2007; Nouvelles Editions Ivoiriennes/CEDA)