Mauritius Writer Jean-Marie Le Clezio
Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio is a Nobel Prize winning author who was born in April of 1040 in the City of Nice on the French Riviera. His family had settled on the island of Mauritius though they divided their time between the island and mainland. Le Clezio has a dual citizenship status and considers Mauritius to be his little fatherland. He was raised in the small French village of Roquebilliere, near Nice when France was occupied by Italy. In 1948 he, his mother and brother took a ship to Nigeria to meet up with his father. He would later write a semi-biographical novel of these early experiences, titled Onitsha.
While inspiring famous novelists is an aspect of the island of Mauritius it is not the only thing that draws numerous tourists to its shores every year. The natural beauty of the island is unsurpassed and contributes to an almost romantic atmosphere. Tourists staying in the best hotels Mauritius enjoy the luxury accommodations and frequently feel as if they’re in their own private paradise.
Clezio began writing at a very young age and wrote his first book about the sea. He studied at the University of Bristol in England for about a year before transferring to Nice’s Institut d’etudes litteraires where he finished his undergraduate degree. He went on to pursue a master’s degree from the University of Provence and completed a PhD at the University of Perpignan. He wrote his dissertation on Mexico’s early history. After spending years in school, he went on to teach other people, and has taught at many universities around the world. As a novelist he has enjoyed a successful career and has published many books and won numerous awards. He had already become well known and critically acclaimed by the age of 23 when he wrote the book Le Proces-Verbal, which translates as The Interrogation. He won the Prix Renaudot for this work.