# Daniel Maximin > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Daniel_Maximin > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Daniel_Maximin.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Maximin > Source revision: 1336487671 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) French novelist, poet, and essayist Daniel Maximin Daniel Maximin in 2017 Born (1947-04-09) 9 April 1947 (age 79) Saint-Claude, Guadeloupe Occupation writer Genre novels poetry essays Notable works L'Isolé Soleil Notable awards Prix littéraire des Caraïbes (1987) Prix Hervé Deluen (2017) knight of the Légion d'honneur (1993) **Daniel Maximin** (born 9 April 1947, [Saint-Claude](/source/Saint-Claude%2C_Guadeloupe), Guadeloupe) is a French novelist, poet, and essayist. He moved to France in 1960. From 1980 to 1989, Maximin served as literary director of the journal *[Présence africaine](/source/Pr%C3%A9sence_Africaine)*. He returned to Guadeloupe in 1989 as Regional Director of Cultural Affairs. He was named a knight of the [Légion d'honneur](/source/L%C3%A9gion_d'honneur) in 1993. ## Biography Daniel Maximin was born on 9 April 1947 in Saint-Claude, Guadeloupe, at the foot of the [Soufrière](/source/La_Grande_Soufri%C3%A8re) volcano, which he describes as "my native fire". As a child, he experienced his first hurricane at age seven and witnessed his first volcanic eruption at age nine, recalling the lava and ash as a "joyful firework display".[1] His family moved to Paris in 1960. In Paris, he studied at the [Lycée Voltaire](/source/Lyc%C3%A9e_Voltaire_(Paris)) and wrote his first poem at age 15. After earning his baccalaureate in 1964, he studied literature at the Sorbonne for five years.[1] In the early 1970s, Maximin began his career as a writer while working as a lecturer at the Institute of Social Studies in [Lausanne](/source/Lausanne) and as a literature teacher in [Orly](/source/Orly). He also participated in early experimental theatre projects.[1] In 1981, he published his first novel, *L'Isolé Soleil*. From 1981 to 1989, he served as literary director at *Présence africaine* and produced the radio program *Antipodes* on [France Culture](/source/France_Culture). In 1989, he returned to Guadeloupe to become Regional Director of Cultural Affairs.[1] Maximin was named a knight of the Legion of Honour in 1993 and a knight of Arts and Letters in 1995. In 1997, he was appointed to organise France’s national commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery.[1] In addition to novels, Maximin is known for his poetry and essays. His poetry collection *L’Invention des désirades* won the Arc-en-ciel Prize in 2000. He published his autobiographical work *Tu, c’est l’enfance* in 2004, which received the Grand Prix Maurice Genevoix and the Prix Tropiques AFD. His essay *Les Fruits du cyclone: une géopoétique de la Caraïbe* was published in 2006.[1] In January 2010, he was named Commissioner General of *2011, Year of the Overseas Territories*.[2] He has also worked as an advisor on [Francophonie](/source/Francophonie) at the [French Ministry of Culture](/source/French_Ministry_of_Culture) and held roles related to literature and education for the Francophone Festival in France.[1] Maximin is considered one of the major contemporary writers of the French Caribbean.[1] ## Works - "Sartre Listening to Savages". [*Telos*](http://www.telospress.com) 44 (Summer 1980). New York: Telos Press. - *[L'Isolé soleil](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=L%27Isol%C3%A9_soleil&action=edit&redlink=1)* (novel), 1981 - *[Soufrières](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Soufri%C3%A8res&action=edit&redlink=1)* (novel), 1987 - *[Lone Sun](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lone_Sun&action=edit&redlink=1)*, 1989 - *[L'Invention des désirades](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=L%27Invention_des_d%C3%A9sirades&action=edit&redlink=1)* (poetry), 2000 - *[L'Ile et une nuit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=L%27Ile_et_une_nuit&action=edit&redlink=1)* (novel), 2002 - *[Tu, c'est l'enfance](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tu,_c%27est_l%27enfance&action=edit&redlink=1)*, 2004 (awarded the [Prix Maurice Genevoix](/source/Prix_Maurice_Genevoix)) - *[Les Fruits du cyclone : Une géopoétique de la Caraïbe](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Les_Fruits_du_cyclone_:_Une_g%C3%A9opo%C3%A9tique_de_la_Cara%C3%AFbe&action=edit&redlink=1)*, 2006 Daniel Maximin in at the *salon* Livre Amerigo Vespucci (*Festival international de géographie* at [Saint-Dié-des-Vosges](/source/Saint-Di%C3%A9-des-Vosges) in 2006) ## Bibliography - Chaulet-Achour, Christiane. *La Trilogie caribéenne de Daniel Maximin : Analyse et contrepoint*. Paris, Karthala, 2000. - Kaufman, Janice Horner. *Daniel Maximin, Hélène Cixous and Aimé Césaire : Creolization, Intertextuality, and Coiled Myth.* New York, Peter Lang, 2006. ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-BFM_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-BFM_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-BFM_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-BFM_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-BFM_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-BFM_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-BFM_1-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-BFM_1-7) ["Biographie de l'auteur Maximin"](https://web.archive.org/web/20161222202703/http://www.bm-limoges.fr/espace-auteur/maximin/auteur-biographie.php). *Bibliothèque francophone multimédia de Limoges*. 3 June 2025. Archived from the original on 2016-12-22. Retrieved 2025-06-29.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_bot:_original_URL_status_unknown)) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["2011, année des Outre-mer : une manifestation pour aller au-delà des préjugés"](https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.outre-mer.gouv.fr%2F%3F2011-annee-des-outre-mer-une-manifestation-pour-aller-au-dela-des.html). *Ministère des Outre-mer (archived)*. Retrieved 2025-06-29. ## External links - (in French) [Un entretien avec Daniel Maximin sur RFO Guadeloupe en 2004](https://web.archive.org/web/20071010055940/http://guadeloupe.rfo.fr/article19.html) - Angela Last. ["Maximin, Daniel"](https://globalsocialtheory.org/thinkers/maximin-daniel/). *Global Social Theory*. Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND FAST WorldCat National United States France BnF data Italy Czech Republic Netherlands Norway Israel Belgium People Deutsche Biographie DDB Other IdRef Open Library Yale LUX This Guadeloupean biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Guadeloupe-bio-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3AGuadeloupe-bio-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Guadeloupe-bio-stub) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Daniel Maximin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Maximin) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Maximin?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.