Cultural Writing. Aphorisms. Literature & Essays. First published in de Chazal's native Mauritius in 1947, SENS-PLASTIQUE, consisting of hundreds of brilliantly entertaining aphorisms, is becoming a worldwide classic. Irving Weiss's stunning translation reveals a new masterwork to the English-language reader.
Malcolm de Chazal (12 September 1902- 1 October 1981) was a Mauritian writer, painter, and visionary, known especially for his Sens-Plastique, a work consisting of several thousand aphorisms and pensées. He was born in Vacoas of a French family long established in Mauritius and wrote all his works in French. Except for six years at Louisiana State University, where he received an engineering degree, he spent most of his time in Mauritius where he worked as an agronomist on sugar plantations and later for the Office of Telecommunications.