Mauritian Literature in English Translation

Mauritian Literature in English Translation

This article relates to All Flesh

Mauritius is an African island nation found in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar. Its location between the African and Asian continents and its colonial history mean the country is today home to a variety of cultures, giving rise to a vibrant literary scene with works written in several different languages.

Though some key titles were previously made available in English, a recent interest in bringing Mauritian literature into the language, driven by a handful of passionate translators, has allowed more of the country's fiction—both old and new—to reach a wider international audience, including Ananda Devi's All Flesh, originally published in 2018 and later translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman. This trend seems set to continue. Upcoming publication The Rasta's Song by Sharon Paul, translated by Nadiyah Abdullatif, has become the first Mauritian novel to secure an English PEN Translates grant, a prestigious award that encourages and assists publishers in translating works from around the world. Here are some other titles to explore, already available in English.

Silence of the Chagos by Shenaz Patel, translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman

Drawing on true events, this powerful novel follows a Chagossian woman displaced from her home on Diego Garcia and forcibly relocated to Mauritius to make way for a US military base. It explores potent questions about identity, the meaning of home, and the voices of marginalized groups.

Tropic of Violence by Nathacha Appanah, translated by Geoffrey Strachan

Told from multiple perspectives, this short yet impactful novel follows the struggles of an orphaned child of a refugee who ends up on the streets of Mayotte, navigating racism, poverty, and gang violence. It shines a light on the human cost of displacement amidst the world's ongoing refugee crisis.

Eve Out of Her Ruins by Ananda Devi, translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman

One of Devi's earlier works, this delves into the dark, hidden side of Mauritius, following four young people on the fringes of society, trapped in a cycle of violence.

Desert by J. M. G. Le Clézio, translated by C. Dickson

This is one of the most critically lauded works from the winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Literature. It follows dual narratives: a desert warrior tribe are driven from their land by French colonizers, and decades later, a descendant of this tribe flees to France to escape a forced marriage, where she must overcome many hardships, all while trying to honor the legacy of her ancestors.

Kaya Days by Carl de Souza, translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman

In the wake of a popular singer's death while in police custody, a young woman takes to the riot-stricken streets of Mauritius in search of her brother. This singular, feverish novella puts a personal lens on a long-suppressed people's demand for justice.

Filed under Reading Lists

This article relates to All Flesh. It first ran in the May 6, 2026 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.