World literature lost one of its great voices with the departure of Maryse Condé, on the last 2nd of April. Born on the island of Guadeloupe, a French overseas territory in the Caribbean, Condé left behind a powerful literary legacy that continues to inspire readers around the world.

“The old witch has departed from this plane and joined the ancestors. Maryse Condé, a Caribbean black woman, beloved daughter of the island of Guadeloupe, made her passage at the age of 90, a life that is eternalized in the hall of giants of world literature,” wrote Djamila Ribeiro in her column this week in Folha de S. Paulo, highlighting the unique style that made Condé one of the most prestigious authors of contemporary times.

“Words will not suffice to describe what Maryse represented. In the cauldron of Caribbean magic, she reinvented ways of telling stories in books that feed readers passionate about fantastic stories, independent of proselytizing, while being rebellious. These are texts that escape essentialism and embrace honesty, and, perhaps for this reason, she is one of the most celebrated writers of French literature in the last century.”

Djamila also paid tribute to Condé on Instagram, right after learning of the Guadeloupean writer’s departure.

“I wake up to the news of the passing of Maryse Condé, one of the giants of literature of all times, a Caribbean woman who illuminated our thoughts and colored the magic of women with her powerful writings. Condé will live forever in her books and in our hearts.”

Image credit: Editora Rosa dos Tempos