Damas, Léon (Léon-Gentran Damas), 1912-78, French poet, b. French Guiana. With Léopold
Senghor and Aimé
Césaire he was one of the first adherents of
négritude, a cultural movement emphasizing black consciousness. His poetry mirrors his intense personality; it is agitated and syncopated in syntax and graphic representation on the page. Anthologies of his verse include
Black Label (1956) and
Pigments (1960). His
African Songs of Love, War, Grief, and Abuse (1961) contains brief verses sympathetically portraying Guianan village life. He also published an autobiographical work,
Return to Guiana (1938).
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