Confiant, Raphaël (b. 1951). Martinican novelist, journalist, and proponent of the idea of créolité. He has published three novels written entirely in Creole (Bitako-a, 1985; Kòd Yanm, 1986; Marisosé, 1987), and two novels (Le Nègre et l'Amiral, 1988; Eau de café, 1991, Prix Novembre) which employ a highly distinctive blend of standard French and Creole to impart a vision of Martinique that emphasizes above all the heterogeneity of the island's culture, language, and people; Le Nègre et l'Amiral is especially noteworthy for its vivid recreation of Martinique under the Vichy régime. He also published nouvelles and poems in Creole. Confiant is joint author (with Jean Bernabé and Chamoiseau) of the manifesto Éloge de la créolité (1989) and (with Chamoiseau) of Lettres créoles (1991). A bitter opponent of négritude, he has often attacked Césaire (Aimé Césaire: une traversée paradoxale du siècle, 1993). He has contributed frequently to nationalist publications in Martinique, notably Antilla and Karibèl, of which he was one of the founders, and is active in the Martinican ecology movement and the international Creole movement, Banzil Kreyol.
[Richard Burton]
