Corsican literature, two centuries of history
The Corsican literature is at the origins impregnated of comic. It is in a work in Tuscan of Salvatore Viale published in 1817(La Dionomacchia) that we find the first verses published in Corsican language, with a poem entitled U serinatu di Scappinu which describes the burlesque serenade composed by the shepherd Scappinu for the woman he loves. But it is only later, in 1896, that the island literature develops more amply, with the birth of the newspaper A tramuntana. Its founder, Santu Casanova, is also a writer, and often considered as the father of Corsican literature. From the First World War, new magazines and newspapers like A Cispra, A Muvra or l'Annu Corsu appear, allowing the writings of Corsican authors and poets to spread. The first novel in Corsican language is published in 1930. It is entitled Pesciu Anguilla and written by Sebastianu Dalzeto, poet, novelist and Marxist journalist, as well as founder of the association Lingua Corsa (1956). After the Second World War, the Corsican literature knows difficult times, to be reborn only in the 1970s.
"À leva di u settanta ", the generation of the 1970s to the rediscovery of the Corsican language
This period, also called the "Riacquistu" (the re-acquisition), is marked by a new generation of authors who revive the insular literary production, with Ghjuvan'Teramu Rocchi or Rinatu Coti as leading figures. It is about a movement of not only literary reappropriation, but also political, social and cultural, which is registered in a particular historical context: that of a society in search of reference marks. For these authors, the autonomy and the preservation of the Corsican identity do not pass only by political measures, but also by the preservation, the valorization and the renewal of the artistic and cultural insular heritage. Thus appears in 1971 L'Intrecciate e cambierine, first manual of grammar and orthography in Corsican language. The magazine Rigiru (the Renewal) also plays an important role in this period of creative effusion and experimentation. The reopening of the University of Corsica in 1981 contributes to complete this movement, revealing talented poets as Ghjacumu Fusina and Ghjacumu Thiers. Finally, the world of the edition knows him also a rise, with the appearance of houses as La Marge, Edition Albiana and Alain Piazzola and the creation of the Prize of the Corsican Book which comes to reward the best works.
A diversified contemporary literature, from Jérôme Ferrari to Francesca Serra
Thanks to this period of necessary reaffirmation, one sees today on average three novels in Corsican language being published each year. This also allowed Corsican literature to open up in the 1990s and 2000s and to go beyond the diglossic relationship to explore new themes and genres, notably detective stories (which now have their own festival in Ajaccio), historical fiction or books on traditions and know-how such as Tempi-fa. A Corsican literature written in French has thus emerged, accessible to a wider public. New figures of national importance have appeared, such as Marcu Biancarelli, also a poet and playwright, Marie Ferranti, published by Gallimard and awarded the Grand Prix du roman of the French Academy for her novel The Princess of Mantua in 2002, or the unavoidable Jérôme Ferrari, who received the Goncourt Prize in 2012 for his book The Sermon on the Fall of Rome. This fervor continues today with a multitude of young authors whose works, in very different styles, are noticed and rewarded. We think of Jean-Yves Acquaviva, Julien Battesti, Jean-Marc Graziani, Laure Limongi or Francesca Serra, who received the literary prize "Le Monde" 2020 for her book Elle a menti pour les ailes. This young author offers us a very contemporary work dealing with the impact of social networks on teenagers through a writing both serious and humorous. It testifies to the vivacity of Corsican literature today and its ability to fit into a more global landscape. With the exception of the island publishing houses which have to face increasing difficulties, the Corsican literary production is doing well, with a stable, creative and critical offer which only announces good things for the future.
L'Antulugia, the new reference work on Corsican literature
In 1973 was published a fundamental work for the insular literature: theAntulugia of Mathieu Ceccaldi. But since then, as we have explained, the years have passed and a major part of Corsican literary creation is no longer represented by this book. It is on these bases that the project of the new Antulugia, a Corsica Literaria, published in the spring of 2020 by the Albania editions, was born. This massive work of 1,912 pages constitutes a precious and almost exhaustive resource of Corsican literary creation since the origins. It contains texts in Corsican, French, but also Italian, accompanied by rich and solid scientific comments and analyses. A Grail for those who wish to deepen their knowledge of Corsican literature!
Children's literature and comics, another way to discover Corsica for young and old alike
In the field of children's literature and comics, Corsica is also very creative. Among the most active publishing houses, it is impossible not to mention Corsica Comix Edition, created in 2010 by Frederic Federzoni. This Ajaccio native is himself a cartoonist and has set himself the challenge of allowing Corsican authors and cartoonists to be published locally. A kind of label "Corsican comics" in short, which highlights the talents of the island of Beauty. The mascot of this house is Petru Santu, a character created by Frédéric Federzoni and the scriptwriter Desideriu, caricaturing with humor and tenderness an "old man" who observes with more or less distrust the island and its inhabitants changing with the world. As far as children's literature is concerned, here are some ideas of works to slip into your children's suitcase to help them discover the island from another angle: Comptines et berceuses corses, a sweet and colorful album published by Didier Jeunesse, the timeless Asterix in Corsica, or Cui Cui et Bustelle by Marine Rivoal, a very nice translation into French of the poems of the famous Ghjuvan'Teramu Rocchi.
