Haiti - Social : A great man of science and letters passed away...
Dr. Jean Metellus, born April 30, 1937 in Jacmel, passed away, January 4, 2014 after a long illness. Emigrated to France in 1959 at the time of the Duvalier dictatorship he worked at the Centre Hospitalier Emile Roux, as a neurologist specializing in speech disorders, harmoniously combining his medical career [over a hundred specialized publications] and his literary activities of novelist, poet, playwright and essayist.
He was laureate of the Academy of Medicine in 1973, 1976, 1984 and many literary awards for his poetry collections and novels was awarded to him including : the Prix André Barré (1982), the Prix of the Foundation Roland de Jouvenel (1984) ; the Grand Prix international Léopold Sédar Senghorof Poetry in French language for all his work (2006) ; the Grand Prix of Poetry of the Society of men of letters for all his work (2007) and the International Francophone Poetry Prix Benjamin Fondane (2010)
To the list of his novels ["Jacmel au crépuscule", "La famille Vortex", "Une eau forte"....] of poetry ["L'enfant noir", "Jacmel, ma citée musicale aux lèvres tropicales", "Je compte mes morts", "Mandel"... ], of plays ["Anacaona", "Le Pont rouge", "Colomb", "Henri le cacique"...] are added historical and philosophical essays on Haiti. His first collection of poetry "Au pipirite chantant" published by the editions "Les lettres nouvelles", had attracted the attention of André Malraux and Maurice Nadeau.
Jean Metellus was also a professor at the College of Medicine at the Paris Hospitals.
