Réunion — books & literature

The story of Réunion

Réunion was uninhabited when Portuguese sailors sighted it in 1507, naming it Santa Apollonia. France claimed the island in 1638 and named it Île Bourbon, sending the first permanent settlers in 1665 under the French East India Company. Coffee, then sugarcane, built a plantation economy powered by enslaved labour brought from Madagascar, East Africa, and later indentured workers from India and China , the root of the island's multicultural Creole society today. Renamed Île de la Réunion in 1793 after the fall of the French monarchy, the island saw slavery abolished in 1848, a milestone still marked every 20 December as Fèt Kaf. Réunion became a full overseas department of France in 1946 and gained region status in 1974, making it part of the European Union despite sitting over 9,000 km from Paris. Volcanic at its core , Piton de la Fournaise remains one of the world's most active volcanoes , the island's dramatic cirques and remparts became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010, and its Creole language, maloya music, and blended cuisine carry the island's layered history into the present.

Timeline — key moments

1. 1507

   Portuguese sailors sight the uninhabited island, naming it Santa Apollonia.

2. 1638

   France claims the island, naming it Île Bourbon.

3. 1665

   The French East India Company sends the first permanent settlers.

4. 1793

   Renamed Île de la Réunion after the fall of the French monarchy.

5. 1848

   Slavery is abolished on the island (announced 18 October, effective 20 December).

6. 1946

   Réunion becomes an overseas department (département) of France.

7. 1974

   Réunion gains region status within France, cementing full EU integration.

8. 2010

   The Pitons, Cirques and Remparts of Réunion Island inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Top 10 things to know about Réunion

1. Piton de la Fournaise is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, erupting over 100 times since 1640.
2. Piton des Neiges, a dormant volcano over 3,000 m tall, is Réunion's highest point and the Indian Ocean's highest peak.
3. Réunion is an overseas department and region of France, using the euro and belonging to the European Union.
4. Cyclone Gamede set a world record for 24-hour rainfall on the island in 2007.
5. The Cirque de Mafate has no road access , reachable only on foot or by helicopter.
6. Réunion Creole is spoken daily by the large majority of the population alongside official French.
7. The population blends African, European, Malagasy, Indian (largely Tamil), and Chinese heritage.
8. Maloya, a music and dance form rooted in the songs of enslaved people, is recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage.
9. The Pitons, Cirques and Remparts of Réunion cover roughly 40% of the island as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
10. Réunion is part of the Mascarene Islands, alongside Mauritius and Rodrigues.

Famous people from Réunion

Say it in Réunion's language

Did you know?

• ★Cyclone Gamede dropped a world-record 71.85 inches of rain on Réunion in 24 hours in 2007.
• ★The Cirque de Mafate, one of three volcanic amphitheatres on the island, has no roads at all.
• ★Réunion is legally as much a part of France as Paris , its residents vote in French and EU elections.

Réunion culture

• Maloya music, born from the songs of enslaved plantation workers, is UNESCO-listed intangible heritage.
• Sega, a dance performed without the feet leaving the ground, blends African and French Creole rhythms.
• Cari (Creole curry) and rougail saucisse, a spiced sausage and tomato dish, are the everyday national dishes.
• Kabars , communal Creole gatherings of music, dance, and food , remain a living social tradition.

Why read Réunion's books

Réunion's literary voice runs from the 19th-century Parnassian poets who carried the island's name into the Académie française to contemporary Creole storytelling shaped by its plantation past. Its books trace a multicultural island still writing its own story.