Biography

(Born in Gonaïves, 1788-1851)

Very little is known about the life of Jean-Baptiste Chenet, except that he was trader in his hometown of Gonaïves when he published his collection of poems, Etudes poétiques ou Chants du Barde, glanés chez les Muses (1849). According to Berrou, Chenet was married three times. The poet drew inspiration from Voltaire, Alphonse de Lamartine, and Félicité Robert de Lamennais. He privileged themes of nature and beauty (Berrou 90-91). Chenet's "Ode à Pie X" (1848), a poem in honor of Pope Pius X, has been digitized by the Bibliothèque nationale de France and his Etudes poétiques by Google Books.

Biography by Emeline Frix, 2022

Bibliography

Berrou Raphaël, and Pradel Pompilus. Histoire de la littérature haïtienne illustrée par les textes. Ed. Caraïbes, 1975.

Page image: Detail from Victor Hugo, "Le Phare des Casquets" (The Casquets Lighthouse), 1866. Maison de Victor Hugo - Hauteville House https://www.parismuseescollections.paris.fr/fr/maison-de-victor-hugo/oeuvres/le-phare-des-casquets