Corpus de la première littérature francophone de l'Océan Indien, écrite et orale, des origines aux Indépendances (18e siècle-1960)
Francophone written and oral literature from the Indian Ocean, from its 18th century origins through Independence. Countries include Comores and Mayotte, Reunion Island, Mauritius, Madagascar, Seychelles.
"The literary production of the countries of the Indian Ocean was considerable as early as the 18th century in Reunion Island and Mauritius, and the 20th century was particularly rich for Madagascan literature. In the 18th and 19th centuries, a number of works were published on local printing presses by local editors, but distribution was limited. Some editions are now known only through rare copies in a libraries, in private collections, or in family archives in the country of origin.
The oral literature of the Indian Ocean was collected by intellectuals or by religious communities. It is to be found in specialized volumes or dispersed in didactic works (dictionaries, grammars, anthologies) from which we have extracted this literary heritage, which is both popular and scholarly, often very ancient."