Heart that laughs, heart that cries

Heart that laughs, heart that cries
by Maryse Conde.

“A Laughing Heart, A Weeping Heart” is a work by Guadeloupean author Maryse Condé. This book is a memoir that recounts her life from her childhood in Guadeloupe to her adult life in Africa and Europe.

Condé is known for her ability to weave rich and complex narratives that explore themes of race, gender and culture. In “Laughing Heart, Crying Heart,” she applies these skills to her own life, providing an intimate look at her personal and professional development.

Throughout the book, Condé reflects on her childhood in Guadeloupe, her upbringing in Paris, her marriage, and her life in Africa. Through these experiences, she explores themes of identity, belonging, and the culture shock she experienced living between different cultures.

“A Heart That Laughs, a Heart That Cries” by Maryse Condé, a Guadeloupean writer who has received several literary awards for her work. The book is a collection of autobiographical stories that narrate the author’s childhood and youth on the Caribbean island, as well as her experiences in France and Africa. The stories are full of humor, irony, nostalgia and social criticism, and show us a personal and complex vision of the identity, culture and history of Guadeloupe.

The book is divided into twelve chapters, each with a title that refers to a proverb or a popular song from the region. Each chapter tells an anecdote or a significant episode in Condé’s life, from her birth to her marriage to an African. Through these stories, we get to know her family, her friends, her teachers, her loves and her conflicts. The author tells us about her happy but also difficult childhood, marked by racism, classism and the machismo of Guadeloupean society. She tells us about her education in a Catholic school where she was taught to despise her own culture and the ideal of assimilation into the French metropolis. She tells us about her rebellion and her search for identity, which led her to travel the world and discover other realities.

The book is a masterpiece of Caribbean literature, combining lyricism, humour and criticism with fluid and elegant prose. The author gives us a sincere and emotional account of her life, without hiding her contradictions, her mistakes and her doubts. At the same time, she offers us a profound reflection on the history and culture of Guadeloupe, an island that has suffered colonisation, slavery and economic dependence. The book is also a tribute to Guadeloupean women, who have resisted and fought for their dignity and freedom.

The book “Corazón que ríe corazón que llora” is a must-read for all lovers of Caribbean literature and for all those interested in learning about the life and work of Maryse Condé, one of the most important and renowned writers of the 21st century.