THE CARIBBEAN ISLAND IN ÉDOUARD GLISSANT’S WORKS AS A SYMBOL OF THE UNION OF CONSCIOUSNESSES AND CULTURES

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the analysis of the special aspects of the island in the works by Édouard Glissant, Martinican writer who is considered as one of the most important fi gures of Francophone literature in the Caribbean basin. The object of the article is to expose the author’s triple perception of the island formed fi rst of all by the particular history of the Antilles, and to relate it to the problem of the Caribbean identity which is the crucial one in the writer’s works. The article also analyzes the concept of creolization put forward by Glissant and illustrates specific traits of the author’s perception of the world and his philosophic views: the writer talks about the problem of memory concerning the attitude to the modern space which is home for the people. The man and the land establish new relations based on trust and respect. The new land is no longer perceived as a place of exile, but rather a symbol of openness and union.