Renowned Guadeloupean writer Maryse Condé has been a practitioner of littérature-monde for decades. Despite her seminal role in French Caribbean literature she has never limited the subject of her writings, nor her physical inhabitation, to a single confined space. Her extensive literary oeuvre spans time periods, countries and genres and she consistently situates herself as a global citizen rather than a “Caribbean” or “francophone” writer. The seeds of this nomadic approach are sown in childhood, evident in her autobiographical narratives Le Coeur à rire et à pleurer (1999) and Victoire les saveurs et les mots (2006), in which Condé reflects on her Guadeloupean roots and her relationship to the wider world. By contrast, her 1997 novel Desirada marks a turning point in Condé's writing, becoming more self-consciously global in outlook and further extending her literary borders. Through an examination of these three books, this paper will explore Condé's personal and literary trajectory as a practitioner of littérature-monde.
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