Oswald Durand

Oswald Durand (September 17, 1840 – April 22, 1906) was a Haitian poet and politician, said to be "to Haiti what Shakespeare is to England, and Dante to Italy."[1] He was also a Haitian writer and poet of French and Creole expression, considered as the national poet of Haiti. Besides he was also judged as a Romantic poet and the most prolific one in the nineteen centuries. These 20th-century successors such as René Depestre, and Jacques Roumain congratulated Oswald Durand for his authentic expressions and honored him as a forerunner of Haitian indigenism.[2] He was born in the northern part of Haiti, in the city of Saint-Louis du Nord. In 1842, both his parents died in the earthquake that devastated the city of Cape Haitian. Oswald Durand, and his sister, were welcomed by their maternal grandmother who raised them. He spent most of his childhood outside the city where he was born. Because of political instabilities in Haiti, he was forced to leave school and to educate himself without having recourse to a teacher.[2]

His most famous works are Choucoune, a lyrical poem praising the beauty of a Haitian woman, and Chant National, a lyrical historic poem which became as popular as the presidential hymn.

Durand worked as a teacher before being elected to Congress in 1885. He was subsequently re-elected six times for this position. He founded or served as advisor, or writer for several newspapers and other publications.

  1. ^ P. Schutt-Ainé, Haiti: A Basic Reference Book, 95
  2. ^ a b Lapierre, Bob (15 January 2017). Reclaiming Choukoun. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. pp. 11–20. ISBN 978-1542579308.