Réunion Island has long been pictured from outside — as a colonial Eden, a plantation economy, a distant French department. Maxime Brygo photographs it from within. Péi Brilé takes its title from the Réunionnais Creole for “Burnt Land,” referring to areas of the island affected by volcanic lava flows. The book assembles a portrait of people living at the margins: in ravines, highlands and forests, in tents, huts, caves and makeshift dwellings, with few resources and a close relationship to nature.

The book reconsiders the island’s myths through the figure of Robinson, a symbol of survival, humility and self-reliance. Brygo reflects on the island’s colonial history and on those living outside mainstream society today. The work draws on the history of maroonage — escape into the highlands as a path to freedom for enslaved people, forming a hidden “interior kingdom” that existed for nearly 185 years. The people photographed are not presented as modern maroons, but they followed similar paths and inherited these landscapes.

Visually, the book is layered. Black-and-white images of mountains are portrayed as haunted by invisible presences. Colour landscapes are framed to exclude any visible sky, reinforcing the density of the jungle, alongside portraits of current inhabitants. Accompanying the images are a poetic text about Réunion that mixes eras and myths, historical texts on maroonage, and a fictional conversation between two inhabitants.

Carel Fransen designed the 152-page softcover, measuring 215 × 310 mm, with text in French, Réunionnais Creole and English. The project was supported by the Centre National des Arts Plastiques and the Région Hauts-de-France.