Dramatist, poet, novelist. Born Juan Victor Séjour Marcou et Ferrand. Recipient of the French Legion of Honor. Considered the most distinguished African American writer of nineteenth-century Louisiana. Mostly unknown to later American writers. He was a free man of color from Louisiana who moved to Paris in 1836. He is credited with being the first African American to publish a work of fiction ("Le Mulâtre," 1837). He was a playwright, and enjoyed considerable success prior to suffering a reversal of fortune. Twenty of his plays were published in Paris, and still more were produced on the stage in Paris and New Orleans. He died a pauper, succumbing to tuberculosis.
Dramatist, poet, novelist. Born Juan Victor Séjour Marcou et Ferrand. Recipient of the French Legion of Honor. Considered the most distinguished African American writer of nineteenth-century Louisiana. Mostly unknown to later American writers. He was a free man of color from Louisiana who moved to Paris in 1836. He is credited with being the first African American to publish a work of fiction ("Le Mulâtre," 1837). He was a playwright, and enjoyed considerable success prior to suffering a reversal of fortune. Twenty of his plays were published in Paris, and still more were produced on the stage in Paris and New Orleans. He died a pauper, succumbing to tuberculosis.
Bio by: Curtis Jackson
Advertisement
