Sortie du livre "Clerise of Haïti" de Marie-Thérèse Labossière

Publié par siel sur 30 Novembre 2010, 10:40am

Catégories : #CULTURE

Trilingual Press is pleased to announce the release of Clerise of Haiti, a novel by Marie-Thérèse Labossière Thomas about life in a Haitian provincial town.

"A novel of timeless Haitian reality"

The story of three generations of Haitian women in a traditional urban setting,Clerise of Haiti covers a thirty year span ending in the late 1970s at the height of the Duvalier era. Yet, it also touches upon current realities.

A young domestic worker devoted to her prominent urban employers in Les Cayes, Clerise progressively renounces the traditional values of her rural background. When she later marries and opens a small business, class conflicts and divided loyalties develop amid the terror of the Duvalier regime, and she is ultimately caught in the escalation of violence. Full of resilience and humor, Clerise's unique perspective into the upper classes and the world of the poor explores the complexities of urban life and highlights the socioeconomic and political forces at play in Haiti.

Born and raised in Les Cayes, the author, Marie-Thérèse Labossière Thomas, migrated to the United States as a young adult. With insider's knowledge and historical research, she weaves a backdrop of authenticity to this story of everyday life in her hometown. Her articles on political and social issues published in the Haitian press have also included narratives about Les Cayes. Below are translated readers' comments on some of those stories:

"I have not met you in person, but I feel a connection through the magic of the space that we shared at different times."
"I must say that you took me back to Les Cayes."
"You reminded me of many events that I had completely forgotten and of some situations that I was able to recognize. I will read the story again; I like it, and above all it is well written. Thanks for a real treat."
"It is so good to be able to remember! Being from Les Cayes, I could visualize the places that you described."

In addition, Richard Currey, best-selling author of Fatal Light, a classic of the Vietnam War, said about an excerpt of this first novel:

"Your prose has a clear and strong presence that even very successful writers don't necessarily bring to their work. An example-and one that might be overlooked because it appears to simply be a declarative paragraph-reveals a firm literary hand at work.

'...they all moved in a tight and polite group, basking in vendors and shoppers' recognition, returning greetings and smiles, gracefully accepting compliments, while Ermance and Antoinette engaged in short rounds of obligatory bargaining and light banter prior to the purchase of the smallest item...they walked amid the crowd all the way to the street facing the Sacred Heart Church.'

It is no small achievement, in my opinion, to write a paragraph of such disarming simplicity with every telling detail etched sharply into place. The reader sees the children in their tight group, moving, nodding, taking in the day, with their world rising around them."

The book is available online from major retailers, such as Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com, and can also be ordered from your local bookstore. For more information, visit: http://www.ahaitianexperience.com or contact Trilingual Press at: http://www.tanbou.com/trilingualpress/index.htm (trilingualpress@tanbou.com), or write to: Trilingual Press/ PO Box 391206, Cambridge, MA 02139

LCCN # 2010935960, 376pp, Paperback, ISBN 978-0-9745821-8-4, $19.95