Joseph Zobel

Who is Joseph Zobel?

Joseph Zobel was born in Rivière-Salée, Martinique, and grew up in modest circumstances raised largely by his grandmother, an experience that shaped the semi-autobiographical fiction for which he later became known. A gifted student, he earned a scholarship that allowed him to complete his education before leaving Martinique in 1946 to study ethnology and drama in Paris. His best-known novel, "La Rue Cases-Nègres" (published in English as Black Shack Alley), appeared in 1950 and tells the story of a boy growing up on a sugar plantation in colonial Martinique, guided by his grandmother's wisdom despite poverty and racial inequality; the novel was adapted into an acclaimed 1983 film, "Sugar Cane Alley," directed by fellow Martinican filmmaker Euzhan Palcy, which won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Zobel worked for years in Senegal as a radio producer and teacher, contributing to the cultural life of French-speaking West Africa, before retiring to a village in southern France. He continued writing poetry and prose throughout his life and was also a sculptor. Zobel died in Alès, France, in 2006, remembered as one of the defining literary voices of Martinique.

Sources: Joseph Zobel, La Rue Cases-Nègres (1950) · Caribbean Literary Heritage, "Z is for Joseph Zobel (1915-2006)" · Caribbean Beat Magazine, "Joseph Zobel: voice of Martinique"