Oswald Durand

Oswald Durand (17 September 1840 - 22 April 1906) was a Haitian poet and politician. Durand is said to be "to Haiti what Shakespeare is to England and Dante to Italy."^[1] Among his most famous works are Choucoune, a lyrical poem praising the beauty of a Haitian woman, and Chant National, a lyrical historic poem which became as popular as the presidential hymn.

Born in Cap-Haïtien, Durand worked as a teacher before being elected to Congress in 1885, a position to which he was re-elected six times. He was involved with several periodicals and newspapers, serving as advisor, writer, and, in a few cases, founder.

Selected works

• Rires et Pleurs - published 1897
• Choucoune - published 1883
• Chant National
• Ces Allemands - published 14 June 1872
• Pantoum Triste
• La Mort de nos Cocotiers

Notes

1. ^ P. Schutt-Ainé, Haiti: A Basic Reference Book, 95

References

• Schutt-Ainé, Patricia; Staff of Librairie Au Service de la Culture (1994). Haiti: A Basic Reference Book. Miami, Florida: Librairie Au Service de la Culture. pp. 94–95. ISBN 978-0-9638599-0-7. 

Persondata
Name	Durand, Oswald
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	17 September 1840
Place of birth
Date of death	22 April 1906
Place of death