A Tempest [Paperback]

“Césaire’sTempest, in translation by Richard Miller, is a sprightly and song-filled enchantment. The luminous intelligence of Mr. Césaire’s meditation on the absurdities of colonialism shines through the antics of the bewildered characters.” –New York Times

“The weapon of poetry may be Césaire’s greatest gift to a modern world still searching for freedom. As one of the last truly great ‘universalists’ of the twentieth century, he has had a hand in shaping or critiquing many of the major ideologies and movements of the modern world. In his own words: ‘Poetic knowledge is born in the great silence of scientific knowledge.’” –from the Introduction

Césaire’s rich and insightful adaptation ofThe Tempestdraws on contemporary Caribbean society, the African-American experience and African mythology to raise questions about colonialism, racism and their lasting effects.


AIMÉ CÉSAIREwas a world-renowned poet, essayist and dramatist, whose best known works includeNotebook of a Return to My Native Land,The Tragedy of King ChristopheandA Season in the Congo. He was the founding editor ofTropiques, which was instrumental in establishing the use of surrealism as a political weapon. He co-formulated the concept of “negritude,” which urges black Africans to reject assimilation and cultivate consciousness of their racial qualities and heritage. Césaire held a number of government positions in his native Martinique, including that of mayor of Fort-de-France. Césaire died in 2008.

RICHARD MILLERhas translated many books, both nonfiction and fiction, including works by Roland Barthes, Brassa? and Albert Camus, as well as poetry, many articles and a number of plays. Among his more recent translations areScentby Annick Le Guérer andBeethoven’lĂ#