Category: Literature

Posted on

“Haitians May Leave Their Country, but It Never Leaves Them” (NYT)

“Haitians May Leave Their Country, but It Never Leaves Them” (NYT) by Aminatta Forna (August 27, 2019)

“Throughout the stories in “Everything Inside,” Edwidge Danticat’s birthplace, Haiti, emerges in an almost mythic fashion. It is a land where a life can be changed, a land that exists both in the past and the present, whose essence may be carried as far as Miami or Brooklyn. Perhaps most of all, it is a land that is rarely visible, for despite its overwhelming presence in these stories, Danticat sets only two of them there. In and from this unseen Haiti a woman’s ex-husband’s new lover will be kidnapped; a woman’s father will return to be part of a bright post-dictatorship future; a faithless husband will try to reconcile with his wife, only to lose her and his daughter in the earthquake of 2010; a desperate man, ditched from a raft, will crawl onshore and into the arms of the woman who will become his wife.”

For more, click through the New York Times link.

Posted on

“Where to Start if You Haven’t Read Enough Toni Morrison” (TIME)

“Where to Start if You Haven’t Read Enough Toni Morrison,” by Annabel Gutterman (August 6, 2019)

“Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison died Monday night at 88. Powerfully interrogating some of the most pressing issues in American society, Morrison’s books cover themes including the psychological impacts of slavery and the destructive nature of oppression. Morrison wrote 11 novels during her career, beginning with her debut The Bluest Eye in 1970, in addition to children’s books, plays and an opera. She was also working on a 12th novel at the time of her death, her publisher confirmed to TIME. As the loss of one of America’s most accomplished writers prompts many to feel they haven’t read enough of Morrison’s books, here are some suggestions for where to begin if you find yourself among that category.”

Posted on

“Latina Reads: Haitian Women Authors to Make Room for on Your Bookshelves” by Virginia Isaad

“Latina Reads: Haitian Women Authors to Make Room for on Your Bookshelves,” By Viriginia Isaad, May 07, 2018.

“Haiti is a Caribbean country rich in revolution and Black freedom. Enslaved Africans achieved independence from France in 1804, after centuries of colonial rule. Haiti, which means “mountainous country” in the language of the Taínos who first inhabited the land, is the source of inspiration for the works of the women on this list — for its beauty, its resistance and its turmoil.

Here, brilliant Haitian women authors, on the island and in the diaspora, you should know and read.”

Posted on

“Community, Revolution, and Power: How Long ‘til Black Future Month? by N. K. Jemisin”

“Community, Revolution, and Power: How Long ‘til Black Future Month? by N. K. Jemisin” by Martin Cahill (Nov. 27, 2018) (Tor.com)

“What started out as the topic of an essay written back in 2013 has now become the rallying cry behind multiple award-winning writer N. K. Jemisin’s first short story collection.” […]

“Her stories run the gamut from hard science fiction, to cyberpunk, to alien invasion, to steampunk, to urban fantasy, and more, and more, and more. Jemisin’s vision is limitless, and in every story, in every world, you get the sense that she is testing the waters, tasting the air, getting a sense of how this genre works, and how she can best use it to her strengths.” […]

“Many of her short stories revolve around similar themes: community, revolution, justice, revelation, power, and more. Jemisin isn’t satisfied with just looking at a system from the outside, and documenting what’s seen; she’s far more interested in digging her hands into the cogs and gears of how such systems work, who they benefit, and how they can be recreated so that there is a more even flow of justice, of power to those who have none, of compassion for those who have been ignored.”

For more, check out the original article at tor.com (Link in title)

Posted on

“Dany Laferrière : Portrait d’un écrivain-lecteur” (JDM)

“Dany Laferrière: Portrait d’un écrivain-lecteur” de Karine Vilder (samedi 17 octobre) – (JdM)

“Est-ce que vous pouvez commencer par nous expliquer pourquoi vous trouvez aussi important de parler des livres des autres dans vos propres livres ?

Parce que je crois profondément que la littérature est une et que sa grande promesse est de nous signaler qu’on est tous pareils sous toutes les latitudes.

Pour ma part, je suis un lecteur ludique, un peu primesautier, un peu papillon. J’aime bien passer d’une émotion à l’autre. Je ne juge pas, je rencontre des gens.”…

Posted on

La Guadeloupéenne Maryse Condé remporte le « nouveau prix de littérature », alternative au Nobel

“La Guadeloupéenne Maryse Condé remporte le « nouveau prix de littérature », alternative au Nobel” (Le Monde) – October 12, 2018

“Souvent pressentie pour le prix Nobel, l’écrivaine guadeloupéenne Maryse Condé a remporté vendredi 12 octobre « le nouveau prix de littérature » institué par la « Nouvelle Académie ».
En raison d’un scandale sexuel touchant l’Académie suédoise, à la suite d’accusations d’agressions et de viols portées par dix-huit femmes contre l’époux d’une académicienne, l’institution n’a en effet pas été en mesure de remettre un prix Nobel de littérature pour l’année 2018.”