Amélia Perchard

Amélia Louisa Perchard (December 28, 1921 – July 19, 2012) was a writer, playwright, and poet in the Bailiwick of Jersey. She is known for her work written in Jèrriais, the traditional language of the island, and her activism in support of Jèrriais cultural heritage.

Biography

Amélia Perchard was born Amélia Noël in 1921, in Saint-Martin, Jersey.^[1]

A writer, she produced various stories, plays, and poems in the Jèrriais language over the course of her career.^[2] Her plays are considered an important part of Jersey's theatrical heritage, and they have been performed frequently at the Jersey Eisteddfod festival.^[1][3] She also wrote recitations to be read by children during events organized by the Jèrriais association L'Assembliée d'Jèrriais. Her work poignantly and dramatically recounts the history of her island, in particular the dark years during the German occupation, which she denounces in her writings. Alongside George F. Le Feuvre, she was one of the most prolific post-World War II Jèrriais-language writers.^[4]

Perchard was also active in writing Jèrriais-language song lyrics, which were set to music and recorded, as well as performed by musicians at Norman festivals in Jersey and in Normandy. Her musical work frequently incorporated adaptations of popular and traditional songs, including translations from English.^[5][6][7]

She died in 2012 at age 90.^[1]

References

1. "Amelia Perchard". Les Pages Jèrriais (in Jèrriais). from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
2. Lepelley, René (1999). La Normandie dialectale: petite encyclopédie des langages et mots régionaux de la province de Normandie et des Îles anglo-normandes (in French). Presses universitaires de Caen. ISBN 978-2-84133-076-8. from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
3. Jones, Mari C. (2003). Jerriais: Jersey's native tongue. St Saviour, Jersey: Le Don Balleine. ISBN 1-904210-03-1. OCLC 500467441. from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
4. Lebarbenchon, Roger Jean (1988). La Grève de Lecq: Guernesey et Jersey (in French). Isoète. ISBN 978-2-905385-12-3. from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
5. "Nouveau CD du groupe Magène. "Je syis magnifique !"". Langue normande (in Norman). 30 January 2014. from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
6. Johnson, Henry (2008). "Localising Jersey Through Song: Jèrriais, Heritage and Island Identity in a Festival Context". Shima: The International Journal of Research into Island Cultures. 2 (2). CiteSeerX 10.1.1.574.9681. from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
7. Baldacchino, Godfrey (8 December 2011). Island Songs: A Global Repertoire. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-8178-5. from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.

External links

• A collection of Jèrriais-language poems by Amélia Perchard