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== René Noyau 1912-1984

==

Joseph René Noyau (http://www.renenoyau.com) was a Mauritian writer who used different pen-names: Jean Erenne, Jean-Claude Bouais, Michèle Bouais. In addition he signed his newspaper articles Petit Albert, Prof, R., N., R.N., and J.E. His birth preceded its declaration (14.04.1912) by several months. He died on 17 September 1984. His writings span over 50 years and a variety of genres: poetry, theatre, essays, short stories, newspaper articles and press chronicles. Some of his works are still unpublished. During the 1950s he started painting but abandoned that for writing which he saw as more important during the pre-independence days. He wrote mainly in French, but from 1970 he wrote in Mauritian Kreol, too.

The publication of 4 volumes of a large number of his writings, including some previously unpublished works took place in Mauritius in 2012 and 2013. This was made possible by a partnership involving Culture et Avenir, a department attached to the Mauritian Prime Minister's office, and René Noyau’s children, represented by his son, Gérard. As a result of this partnership all state secondary schools, colleges, university and public library were given a set of René Noyau L’oeuvre.

Biography Joseph René Noyau’s birth was declared on 14 April 1912, although, according to him, he was born on 6 November 1911. His mother, a widow for a number of years at the time, waited before declaring his birth as many others did, according to René, to give the child an advantage when taking scholarship examinations later on. René had a twin brother, Réno, who died in early childhood. He had a half-brother and a half-sister, Emilien and Gabrielle Noyau (married name: Manuel), aged 16 and 14 at the time of his birth. He got to know his father, Ignace Fossoyeux, very well and was very close to him. He left school at fourteen, wanted to become a sailor but his mother objected. He did a variety of jobs before working as a bookkeeper at the docks, where his father worked in a senior capacity. He retired from that post on 01.01.1951 aged 39 to devote himself fully to a life as a writer, without being shackled by employment and employers. In 1934 he married Jane Moorghen, the mother of his three children, Ginette, Nicole, and Gérard. In 1940 he left the family home when his affair with widow Véronique Bahadoor, a very close friend of Jane, came to light. This was followed by a divorce in 1942. In that same year, René married Véronique. René’s discovery of Véronique’s many affairs led to a separation in 1950, with Véronique leaving the island for England in 1954. In the late 1950s René wanted reconciliation with Jane and his children, but this request was deemed too sudden; Ginette was not involved in that decision as she was at Nottingham University at the time. In the early 60s, Jane became terminally ill with René visiting her almost daily. From the late 1950s, René had as a companion, Joyce Rosie Bahadoor, Veronique’s step-daughter. Joyce was an exceptional woman, who worked hard as a milliner and supported René selflessly. He acknowledged his gratitude to Joyce by including her as an author to Tention Caïma, although he underlined that the copyright was his. Joyce’s pseudonym, Rosieb Ahjo, was based on her full name, Joyce Rosie Bahadoor. René often referred to her as Rosieb in his letters. He died on 17 September 1984.

René Noyau, the writer René Noyau, the writer, used different pen names: Jean Erenne, Jean-Claude Bouais, Michèle Bouais. In addition, he also signed his newspaper articles Observateur, Petit Albert, Prof, R., N., R.N., and J.E. René started writing in a newspaper, probably Le Radical, in 1929 at the age of 19. His first published poem, Premier poème appeared in a leaflet in 1931. His first collection was L’ange aux pieds d’airain with 7 poems. In Mauritius authors for a long time had to pay for their printing costs. René had only enough money to pay for 7 out of the thirty poems that he had ready to be published. L’ange introduced surrealism in Mauritius. Many of his future writings have surrealist overtones, for example, his short stories, Passerelles (1936), Les oiseaux tombent et les arbres volent (1968), Lettre oiseau (1978). L’ange aux pieds d’airain was not well-received by those who could not stomach the departure from what was considered as good poetry. René Noyau, as the list of his works shows, displayed his talent in a variety of genres and styles. Common to all his works, including his newspaper articles, is a mastery of the words and ideas, a flowing style, and a quality of structure. His choice of titles is always inspiring. These qualities are present throughout his works. The one exception is perhaps Le procès Bissoondoyal; its title is not appropriate and its structure and style are clumsy. Apart from his introduction of surrealism in Mauritius, René Noyau as a precursor can be seen in the celebration of his Africanness in Présence Africaine à l’île Maurice (1956) and later on in Sega de Liberté (1959) and his poems which he termed “africain”; in 1963 in a masterly speech entitled Jean Jacques Rousseau ou De l’Indépendance (1963), he espouses fully the cause for independence. Independence to him was a necessary step to liberty; independence is but a step, hence his disappointment after the country gained independence in 1968. For a few years before and after independence, Creole has almost disappeared from Mauritian writings. In 1970 there were some very negative statements made about Creole. Camille de Rauville described it as a language of mules, therefore sterile. For G. André Decotter, Creole was only fit to be used in shops. René’s answer was to publish Tention Caima, a tale in Creole. There are still some of his writings missing, for example, Discours d’un patriote de la vie (essay), Au plus loin de l’horizon and Madeleine (short stories published in Reunion Island) and Le pardon du temps (collection of poems): all works dating from the 1940s. There are also some of their writings which appeared in the magazines Vergers and Maurice-Magazine in the 1930s as well as his articles in the newspaper Zamana.

List of works, commercially and privately published, with dates of first and latest publications and name under which work appeared

Poetry Jean Erenne − Premier poème (1931 ; 2012) Jean Erenne – Corymbes (1932 ; 2012) Jean Erenne – Au poète Marcel Cabon (1933) Jean Erenne − L'ange aux pieds d'airain (1934 ; 2012) Louis Aristide Sylvain – As-tu trouvé ta croix ? (1936 ; 2012) Madeleine Thomas– Simple poème (à un poète veuf….)(1936 ; 2012) Jean Erenne − Le labyrinthe illuminé (1939 ; 2012) Jean Erenne – Astralgie et Astralgique ( ? ; 2012) Jean Erenne − Sega de liberté (1959 ; 2012) Jean Erenne – Les amis du peuple veillent (political poem) (1965 ; 2013) Jean Erenne – Les amis du peuple veillent (political poem) (1968 ; 2013) Jean Erenne – La voie − 1970 – 2013 René Noyau – Poèmes 2013 Rene Noyau - Earth on Fire - 2021 (https://tworiverspress.com/shop/earth-on-fire-and-other-poems-a-bilingual-edition/)

Short Stories Jean-Claude Bouais – Passerelles (1936 ; 2012) Jean Erenne – La lettre – (1940) Jean-Claude Bouais – Filière (1940) Jean Erenne – Au pays des Upas (1968 ; 2013) Jean Erenne − Les oiseaux tombent et les arbres volent (1968 ; 2013) René Noyau – Lettre oiseau (1980 ; 2013) Jean Erenne et Rosieb Ahjo – Tention caïma (in Kreol) et Il a toujours des caïmans (1971 ;2013) René Noyau – Upas (2013) René Noyau – Les moulins de la vie (novella) (2013)

Plays René Noyau – La Race d’Abel (1973 ; 2013)

Dramatic poem René Noyau – La Race d’Abel, première partie (2013)

Essays Michèle Bouais – Charmes de la correspondance (1947 ; 2012) Jean Erenne − La lettre à Madeleine Rousseau (1955 ; 2012) Jean Erenne − Présence africaine à l'île Maurice (1956 ; 2012) Jean Erenne – Jean-Jacques Rousseau ou De l’Indépendance (1962 ; 2013) Jean Erenne – Le procès Bissoondoyal (1964 ; 2013) Jean Erenne – Pour faciliter le dialogue (2013) Jean Erenne – Le complexe de la peur (2013) René Noyau – Actualités mauriciennes (2013) René Noyau – Sega pour Pierre Argo (2013)

Other non-fiction Jean Erenne − Le poinçon de cristal (aphorisms) (1942 ; 2012) Jean Erenne − Blancs et noirs au jour de vérité (book review) (1960 ; 2013) René Noyau − Des arrhes et métiers faut point discuter (Partly autobiographical narrative) (2013) René Noyau – Pensées, réflexions et maximes (2013) René Noyau − Travaux inachevés (divers) – 2013 René Noyau – Interview de René Noyau par lui-même (2013)

Newspaper contributions. Over 300 articles were published in the following newspapers: Le Radical, Le Cernéen, Le Mauricien, Advance, Action, The Nation. Other unsigned articles were published in Zamana, but have not been found. A selection of his articles were republished in 2012 and 2013.

Unpublished writings in French Commission d’enquête sur la Police – Memorandum, 1957, +letters to Governor Une année de discorde (Long essay on 1965 riots in Mauritius and its causes) Réponses à des étudiants (An answer to statements made by G. André Decotter’s press articles about literary events in the 1930s.) Henri Dalais en 1936: élever le peuple (Short essay) Epigramme Et mon âme ô Françoise (poem) Sibylle (short story) [Réflexions philosophiques] Opium (factual text with some sections missing) La sorcellerie à Maurice (unfinished essay)

Unpublished writings in Creole L’appareil gouvernement (Traduction et critique d’une section du Livre Vert de Kadhafi) Texte sans titre sur le système salarial Ton Zil (draft novella in Mauritian creole)

Further reading : Ahtoy (Irène): JEAN ERENNE : L’évolution d’une œuvre à travers le temps – Université de La Sorbonne Nouvelle, Section Lettres Modernes, Paris III octobre 1977 Lehembre (Bernard), – L’île Maurice, Paris, Karthala, 1984 – Masson Hervé dit Hervé Masson, Paris, L’Harmattan, 2005 Prosper (Jean-Georges) Histoire de la littérature mauricienne de langue française, Port-Louis, Éditions de l’océan Indien, 1994 Toussaint (Auguste) Bibliography of Mauritius 1502 - 1954, Port-Louis, Mauritius, Esclapon, 1954 Urruty (Jean) Poètes mauriciens (vol 3). Port-Louis, Royal Printing, 1973

Articles et chroniques de presse Signés Cabon (Marcel), Lettre à Muriel Reed, Advance, 3 avril 1963. Cabon (Marcel), In memoriam Gobin Rottoo, Advance, 9 juin 1970 Decotter (G. André), A propos d’un pamphlet, Le Mauricien, 18 mars 1936. Decotter (G. André), Déculturisation, L’Express, 30 mai 1977 Decotter (G. André), Panorama de la peinture mauricienne : Les compagnons de Boullé : Jac Desmarais, L’Express, 3 février 1975. Decotter (G. André), Panorama de la peinture mauricienne : le temps de la réaction, L’Express, 17 et 25 février 1975. Decotter (G. André), Grandes figures du passé – (IV) Robert- Edward Hart, L’Express 10 novembre 1976 Decotter (G. André), Mystifications, L’Express, 6 juin 1977. de Rauville (Camille), Un cheval pour mon royaume, pas un mulet, Le Mauricien, 30 juillet 1971. de Rauville (Camille), L ’infécondité des mulets linguistiques, Le Mauricien, 9 août 1971. Forget (Dr. Philippe), Vie et mort du séga, L’Express, 1er février 2007 Gili (A), René Noyau, Penseur et poète mauricien, Le Quotidien de la Réunion, 27 octobre 1978. M.C. - UNESCO ET UCF : Pour saluer Rousseau, Advance -20 septembre 1962 Monvoisin (Jean) M. Jean Erenne et la ‘superpoésie’, Le Mauricien, 14 juin 1934 Renaud (Pierre), Et l’Afrique continue « Un chant de tous pour tous », L’Express, 13 juillet 1976 Stylet, Fagots, Le Mauricien, 16 juin 1934 Virahsawmy (Dev), Dev Virahsawmy sur Tention Caïma, LeMilitant, 13 octobre 1971 Unienville (Noël Marrier de) (N.M.U), Opinion du jour – De tout pour tous, Le Cernéen, 5 octobre 1956. Unienville (Noël Marrier de) (N.M.U), Opinion du jour – Que l’on ne s’occupe pas d’eux, Le Cernéen, 8 octobre 1956. Unienville (Noël Marrier de) (N.M.U), Opinion du jour – Quand les analphabètes deviennet grammairiens, Le Cernéen, 15 octobre 1956. Unienville (Noël Marrier de) (N.M.U),Exécurion No. 1, Le Cernéen, 22 Octobre 1956 Unienville (Noël Marrier de) (N.M.U), Opinion du jour – Les bâtisseurs du monde futur Le Cernéen, 23 octobre 1956. Unienville (Noël Marrier de) (N.M.U), Opinion du jour – le Noyau filandreux, Le Cernéen, 5 novembre 1956. Unienville (Noël Marrier de) (N.M.U), Opinion du jour – Quand les analphabètes deviennet grammairiens, Le Cernéen, 15 octobre 1956. Walter (Marc), Pour le « Labyrinthe illuminé » : E pur si muove, Le Cernéen, 30 juin 1939

Pan signés Bloc – notes - Les livres : Jean Erenne, non - René Noyau écrit pour le peuple, L’Express, 17 septembre 1971. Bloc-notes – Tambours : Une certaine Afrique, L’Express, 27avril 1973 Bloc-notes – L’engagement – Jean Erenne, poète de la liberté, L’Express, 24 janvier 1974. Bloc notes - Autour d’une revue - Le service culturel de l’ADER, L’ Express, 27 novembre 1980 Cahier du semainier - La Vérité Essentielle, L’Express, 19 février 1976 Ce qu’ils en pensent : Jean Giono ou le chant du monde, L’Express, 16 octobre 1970 Et l’Afrique continue – « Un chant de tous pour tous », L’Express, 13juillet 1976 Hommage à René Noyau, Le Mauricien, 20 septembre 1984 In Memoriam – Il y a deux ans mourait Jean Erenne, L’Express, 18 septembre 1978 La Culture des Masses Populaires, L’Express, 4 février 1975 La littérature mauricienne en deuil - Hommage à René Noyau, L’Express, 25 septembre 1984 La vie mauricienne – L’oeil de M. Erenne, La vie catholique, 6 octobre 1961 L’école des Beaux-Arts de la municipalité de Port-Louis, Advance, 6 août 1959 L’experience René Noyau , Le Cernéen, 17 Octobre 1956 Paragraphes – René Noyau homme de son temps, Express, 5 novembre 1971 Souvenirs littéraires : Les défricheurs des années 30, L’Express, 31 janvier 1974 Tention Caïman, Voix de l’Islam, septembre 1971