Novelist - Haiti Observer Blog

Haiti's most famously remembered, celebrated and praised writers seemed to all tend towards not just the literary arts, but a decidedly political activism. Whether it is the art which inspired the politics or the politics which gave way to the great art, in the case of the writings of Rene Depestre, both appear hand-in-hand, twain catalysts which drove him to create essays, novels, short stories and his famous poetry.

Rene Depestre was born in Jacmel on August 29, 1926, but, when his father died ten years later, he went to Port-au-Prince to live with his grandmother. The nostalgia of leaving his remaining family would later greatly influence his work. His debut poetry collection, entitled, 'Étincelles' was published in 1945. Just shy of 20 years old he also co-founded a magazine which would later have the distinction of having an edition seized by the government in their first year for the homage paid to Breton.

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Jacques-Stephen Alexis was born in 1922 with literary blood already in his veins courtesy of his writer father, Stephen Alexis. His upbringing in Haiti and the influence of other prolific Haitian writers, like Jacques Roumain before him, molded Alexis into one of the country's most well loved writers.

Though he'd completed his schooling in medicine, writing had remained a passion and he gained early recognition on his first piece, an essay on the poet, Hamilton Garoute. This early success was soon followed by his work with La Ruche and then by a string of novels which tended towards the heavy narrative telling of the Haitian city-dwelling peasant.

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Haiti's great writers seem to have an added edge that their contemporaries from other countries, on the same mass scale, simply don't. Along with the accolades of a 'good name' in the literary world, acclaimed works that will live on in posterity due to their massive capacity to inspire understanding, pathos and new knowledge in their readerships, and the ever entertaining narrative of simply good writing chops, the authors hailing from the country have an added layer of grit that often sees them in trouble with authority.

Not one to be left out of this distinction, Josaphat-Robert Large, novelist, poet and art critic, has too walked this seemingly prescribed path of any Haitian writer worth his or her salt. Born in November of 1942, Large grew up under the stifling Duvalier rule and found himself personally affected by the 'absurd order' given for students to stay home on an unlimited vacation, as answer to the student strike. His answer was to take to the streets, a specific ban having been imposed, and he was jailed for his temerity.

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Spending your formative years clandestinely watching movies from across a ravine could certainly be a surefire way of creating literary gold. It is the truth, at least, in the case of Haitian writer Louis-Philippe Dalembert. Born in 1962, in a time when the cinematic world was taking hold of Haiti and outdoor theatres were popping up all over, Dalembert, like many of the other folks in his neighborhood, gathered to watch the American westerns or Asian action films that often played, making up the dialogue, to themselves or as a collective, to fit the action.

This time was especially formative for Dalembert, who'd spent the first few years of his life growing up in Port-au-Prince, a city under the much stricter rule of 'Papa Doc' Duvalier. Though the happier 60's and 70's were more influential than the first six years of his life, this early period, officiously ruled by his no-nonsense grandmother and the strictures of religion proved necessary sources for one of his later novels, 'Le crayon du bon Dieu n'a pas de gomme'.

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Great writers write what they know, and to know one must have experienced. It is perhaps the wealth of experience to be had growing up with the flavorful culture of Haiti, combined with the inherent 'growing up female' narrative to mold them why women Haitian writers number so many and are so excitingly prolific in their works. This undeniably compelling group of ladies has received an honor even greater than the awards recently issued to 8 among their field with this further acknowledgement of the worth of their words.

The setting was the Municipal Palace of Delmas, the day, Monday April 1, 2013, our protagonists, 8 wonderful writers whose dedication to their various forms of writing, as poets, short-story and novel writers, art critics and educators, was honored by the Ministry of Culture in a ceremony alive with music from the Congolese 'Drums of Brazza'. Edith Lataillade, Marilisse Neptune Rouzier, Marianne Lehmann, Marie-Alice Théard, Evelyne Trouillot, Marie-Marthe Balin Paul, Charlotte Barlatier Cadet and Paula Clermont Péan were given plaques of merit honoring their literary contributions that have benefited the literature of Haiti by enriching it and giving voice to the issues faced by women in Haitian society.

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Jean Metellus is a Haitian born neurologist, a playwright, a poet and novelist. He was born in Jacmel, Haiti on April 30, 1937. He completed his education in Republic of Haiti and later became a teacher. He escaped Duvalier's dictatorship by fleeing to Paris in 1959. In Paris he studied medicine and linguistics and obtained specialization in neurology. Jean was a gifted poet by birth and wrote several poems. He sent his poems to ethnologist Michel Leiris who then advised him to send his poemes to Maurice Nadeau who as Les Lettres Nouvelles editor. Jean also sent his poems to Jean-Paul Sartre. Jean Metellus' poems were published by Maurice Nadeau in Les Lettres Nouvelles and by Jean-Paul Sarte in Les Temps Modernes. Both these publications were made in July 1969.

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