The emerging identity of the poet in Senghor's Chants d'ombre: some preliminary reflections1.

Senghor's importance within francophone writing remains uncontested. However, his writing has most often been seen as committed in nature. This view is strengthened by Senghor's assertion that there is no concept of art for art's sake in African writing. However, by emphasising the political dimension of Senghor's writing, at the expense of the personal, Senghor is denied an equal status with poets within the Western canon. This paper argues that Senghor's poetry should also be viewed as a personal document, which charts the emergence of the poetic identity itself. The early poems discussed provide a poignant sense of 'culture shock', made all the stronger because they were written at an early stage in the poet's career. They also show an experimentation which belies the view that his writing consists of pre-planned political statements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]