Chantal Michel
Born in 1968.
Chantal Michel is the author of Une méduse au soleil, a work published by Éditions Orphie. This book is presented and discussed as an autobiographical narrative. Its textual form combines the narrative with interspersed poems intended to convey ebb and flow.
The author states that she completed Une méduse au soleil in order to organise and purge personal memories.
In 1965, she married Philippe Schaefer, presented in the narrative as a graduate of Saint-Cyr. Following her husband, she lived in Chad and recounts stays in sub-Saharan Africa. Her time on La Réunion is described as a « coup de foudre » dating from 1973–1976.
The narrative mentions a return to and settlement on La Réunion in 2002 in order to « finir nos jours ». Her father’s death is evoked in the text as a significant event linked to her family’s uprooting. The serious illness and premature death of a brother, Alain, are likewise presented as having played a role in the genesis of the book.
Among her other titles, Sirocco et Alizés is listed as her second book, also published by Éditions Orphie. Tu pourras toujours compter sur moi, published by Éditions L’Ancre Bleue, is presented as her latest novel and as a tribute to her maternal uncle. Alongside her writing practice, she undertakes cultural mediation and educational activities within an association, organising visits to heritage and industrial sites for its members.
Her name appears among the artists listed in the catalogue of the exhibition I am the space where I am – Swiss Women’s Contemporary Art Exhibition (He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen, 2012).
