Naivo (born Naivoharison Patrick Ramanmonjisoa[1]) is a Malagasy writer of historical fiction and the author of the first Malagasy novel to be translated into English, Beyond the Rice Fields.

Naivo
BornMadagascar
LanguageFrench
Genrehistorical fiction
Years active1996-now
Notable worksBeyond the Rice Fields
Website
naivoharisoa.blogspot.com

Early life

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Naivo worked as a teacher in Paris.[2] He emigrated to Canada where he works as a journalist and lives in Ottawa.[3]

Career

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His debut adult fiction novel was Beyond the Rice Fields.[4] The novel draws inspiration from Malagasy history.[5] It was first published in French by Éditions Sépia in 2016.[6] It is the first work of fiction from Madagascar to be translated into English.[7] The translation was made possible through a 2015 PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grant.[1][8] Beyond the Rice Fields was longlisted for the 2018 BTBA for Fiction and Poetry.[9] It received a Five-Heart Review from Foreword Reviews.[10]

His short story collection Madagascar entre poivre et vanille: Petits portraits à plume débridée, deals with Madagascar's coups, the corrupt judiciary system, monarchy and colonialism.[11]

Bibliography

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Novels

  • Beyond the Rice Fields (Restless Books, 2017)

Short stories

  • Madagascar entre poivre et vanille: Petits portraits à plume débridée (2016)

Non-Fiction

  • Les mutations culturelles à Madagascar vues à travers le prisme du hainteny, "poésie" traditionnelle (2018)

Awards

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Nominations

2018

  • BTBA for Fiction and Poetry Longlist for Beyond the Rice Fields (Restless Books, 2017)[9]

Won

1996

  • RFI/ACCT Prize for short story "Dahalo"

References

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  1. ^ a b Becker, Eric M. B. "Beyond the Rice Fields: A Sweeping Look at the History of Slavery and Modernization in Madagascar - Words Without Borders". Words Without Borders. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  2. ^ "Naivo's Beyond The Rice Fields Is the First Novel from Madagascar to be Translated into English". Brittle Paper. 2018-05-12. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  3. ^ "Naivo's Beyond the Rice Fields captures the personal amid profound social change". MBC. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  4. ^ "Review: In any translation, Naivo's 'Beyond the Rice Fields' should be savored not rushed". The Gazette. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  5. ^ "In Defense of Discomfort: On Naivo's 'Beyond the Rice Fields' - The Millions". The Millions. 2018-01-25. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  6. ^ "Fiction Book Review: Beyond the Rice Fields by Naivo, trans. from the French by Allison M. Charette. Restless, $19.99 trade paper (400p) ISBN 978-1-63206-131-7". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  7. ^ ""Beyond the Rice Fields" by Naivo [Why This Book Should Win] « Three Percent". www.rochester.edu. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  8. ^ "Beyond the Rice Fields - PEN America". pen.org. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  9. ^ a b "Announcing the 2018 BTBA Longlists for Fiction and Poetry - The Millions". The Millions. 2018-04-10. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  10. ^ "Review of Beyond the Rice Fields". Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  11. ^ "In Conversation: Naivo and Allison Charette on Beyond the Rice Fields - Asymptote Blog". www.asymptotejournal.com. Retrieved 2018-11-28.