The Rarest Fruit: Gaëlle Bélem’s Novel about the Life of Edmond Albius

His latest novel is devourable and that’s good, because it’s about vanilla. Reunion novelist Gaëlle Bélem tells the story of Edmond Albius who, at the age of 12, still a slave, found a way to fertilize vanilla. Thanks to its discovery, Reunion Island became the largest exporter of this spice with its wonderful taste. Edmond Albius made the planters rich, but once freed, his destiny was not glorious. On the contrary. The brilliant inventor even spent a few years in prison.

1 Saint-Benoit

Gaëlle Bélem traces this fascinating story in The rarest fruit or the life of Edmond Albius. A native of Saint-Benoit, the novelist grew up in a single-parent family. “very loving” et “modest” Or “there weren’t many books.”. His mother is a housekeeper, his father was a fashion designer. As for his brother, he is today “director of a large cultural space“. “In Saint-Benoit, we are not going to visit the bookstores, but we are going to discover nature”tells the novelist in #MaParole with her inimitable tone.

She attended the clove school in Saint-Benoit and her teachers liked her. From the age of 12, she started writing in small notebooks that she kept. Everyone in the family is convinced that she will become a novelist. She doesn’t dare believe it. After the baccalaureate, Gaëlle Bélem “skip the sea“, as they say in Reunion, and leaves for Toulouse for preparatory class at the Fermat high school. “It’s one of the few cities that I miss.” notes the novelist who dreams of making a dedication there. She studied literature extensively, took competitive exams, failed and decided to continue her studies at the Sorbonne in history.

2 Professor

In 2009, she entered the École Pratique des Hautes Études, passed the CAPES in 2009 and became a history-geography teacher in high schools and colleges in the Paris suburbs of Montfermeil, Villepinte and Aubervilliers. Since her visit to Seine-Saint-Denis, Gaëlle Bélem says “no longer encounter any class management problems” and does not regret these years of teaching in the suburbs.

She also participates in the Bondy Blog, an online information site which was created after the riots of 2005. The future novelist then begins “a new life”. “By day, I’m a teacher in the suburbssays Gaëlle Bélem in #MaParole. In the evening, I become a theater critic, a freelance journalist, I perform multiple shows at the Comédie Française, at the Théâtre du Châtelet and at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. And then I write reviews and then my life begins to please me, because I write”.

And then after ten years spent in Paris which had the effect on him “of a psychological crusher“, she misses her family so much that she decides to request a transfer. Back on the island, she still teaches in private and public schools and at the Port penitentiary center for two years. After all these experiences, she In 2019, he became an assessor in the children’s court and sits in correctional hearings for minors.”It’s emotionally difficultshe remembers in #MaParole. The first months, I left the hearings with tears in my eyes”.

At the same time, she began to write. His first novel A monster is there, behind the door which speaks of a poor Reunionese family and “crazy” whose daughter is a real ringworm, is a story that is both tragic and comic. Published by Gallimard, the book came out at the time of the Covid epidemic. A tile. But Gaëlle Bélem does not let herself be defeated and deploys treasures imagination to make his story known. Popular success. The novel was released in paperback by Folio and won two literary prizes.”This is the first time that a Reunionese author has seen her book released in paperback, so it’s a great joy.” underlines the novelist.

3 Edmond Albius

In 2023, Gaëlle Bélem signs a fascinating novel entitled The rarest fruit or the life of Edmond Albius. Born in 1829 and died in 1880, abandoned by his parents, Edmond was taken in by Féréol Bellier Beaumont, a planter who taught him everything he knew about botany. Edmond, still a slave, illiterate and aged 12, managed to develop the process of pollinating vanilla. But before and after this discovery, we know very little about the fate of Edmond Albius. Gaëlle Bélem wanted to fill this gap.

What happened before this discovery? What happened after he turned twelve? Did he have children himself or not? Was he married or not? Very few people know this. And like them, I knew practically nothing about it and yet I am a history teacher. This shows how little we know about our local history on Reunion Island. (…) He is an illustrious unknown, Edmond Albius

Gaëlle Bélem therefore immersed herself in online archives and departmental archives. She discovered numerous correspondence, press cuttings, extracts from civil status as well as the will left by the wife of Edmond Albius. In her novel, she also tells the story of this popular spice. At 16^e century, the explorer Hernan Cortes, brought vanilla plants and vanilla pods back to Spain from Mexico. But no one in Europe has really managed to sustainably obtain vanilla beans. And it is a 12-year-old slave who manages to solve the mystery. But that won’t make him rich and happy. He even spent several years in prison after his discovery, although thanks to him Reunion Island became the main exporter of vanilla in the 18th century.^e century. For Gaëlle Bélem, this is a “absolutely total injustice” but which is explained by “l“structural and institutional racism” of this company of the 19^e century.

In this year 2023, Edmond Albius takes his revenge. We had never heard so much about him, particularly in Reunion. There was a very successful play called Edmond’s perfume presented at the Avignon festival in July 2023 and previously performed on several stages on the island, there is also a graphic novel by Appolo and Téhem which should be released soon. At the Villèle museum in Reunion, a very beautiful exhibition on Edmond Albius was offered to the public. In short, the year 2023 becomes the year of Edmond Albius. “All those who have worked on Edmond Albius, whether in the theater, for a graphic novel or like me for a novel, we ask ourselves how such a thing could have happened? This is what I call the scrupulous mechanics of chance.”summarizes Gaëlle Bélem.

The rarest fruit or the life of Edmond Albius a featured on the list of various literary prizes. He’s still in good shape for the prix Literary nuggets Cultura 2023. While awaiting the result, the rights of the rarest fruit or the life of Edmond Albius were sold in Italy. The book will soon be translated into Italian to the delight of its author. “Finally, they will know where the flavor of their ice creams, which are so famous throughout the world, comes from.”laughs Gaëlle Bélem.

The novelist is spending a lot of time at the moment presenting her latest novel in bookstores in France, Reunion and Martinique where she is participating in the dreamland festival. She is also preparing her next story, the action of which will still take place in Reunion. “There is a news item which had a huge impact on me and which I am currently writing about., specifies Gaëlle Bélem who does not wish to say more about her project. So, all you have to do is wait while listening Maloya kabose by Davy Sicard, the song that the novelist chose to conclude this issue of #MaParole in style.

►November 14, 1984

Birth in Saint-Benoît (Reunion)

►2002

Hypokhâgne at Fermat high school (Toulouse)

►2009

Teacher in Île-de-France

►2020

A monster is there, behind the door (Gallimard)

►2023

The rarest fruit or the life of Edmond Albius (Gallimard)