Dany Laferrière
Encyclopedia
Dany Laferrière is a francophone
Haiti
an and Canadian
novelist and journalist.
Born in Port-au-Prince
, Haïti
, and raised in Petit Goâve
, Laferrière worked as a journalist in Haïti before moving to Canada in 1976. He also worked as a journalist in Canada, and hosted television programming for the TQS
network.
Laferrière published his first novel, Comment faire l'amour avec un nègre sans se fatiguer
(How To Make Love To A Negro Without Getting Tired
) in 1985. The novel was later adapted into a screenplay
by Laferrière and Richard Sadler
, earning a Genie Award
nomination for best adapted screenplay at the 11th Genie Awards
in 1990. The film adaptation of the novel starred Isaach De Bankolé
and was directed by Jacques W. Benoit.
He writes his novels exclusively in French
, although some have been published in English with translations by David Homel.
The 2005 film Heading South (Vers Le Sud) was adapated from three of his short stories.
In 2009, Laferrière won the prestigious Prix Médicis
for his 11th novel, L'énigme du retour. Upon receiving the prize, he commented on its ability to open up a new readership in France, giving him visibility there. In the past Laferrière had always refused to be published in the fall, a season associated with the great literary prizes, but had been recommended to do so with "L'énigme du retour" by his editors. The novel follows Laferrière as he returns to his birthplace in Haïti, 33 years after he left it, upon learning of his father's death in New York. The narrative is somewhere between prose and poetry, nearing Japanese Haiku structures in some sections.
Laferrière lives in Montreal, Quebec
.
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an and Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
novelist and journalist.
Born in Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
, Haïti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, and raised in Petit Goâve
Petit Goâve
Petit-Goâve is a coastal town in Ouest Department, Haïti. It is located southwest of Port-au-Prince. The town has a population of approximately 12,000 inhabitants.-History:...
, Laferrière worked as a journalist in Haïti before moving to Canada in 1976. He also worked as a journalist in Canada, and hosted television programming for the TQS
Tqs
V is a Canadian privately-owned French-language television network. The network has owned-and-operated and affiliated stations existing throughout Quebec, although it can also be seen over-the-air in some bordering markets in the provinces of Ontario and New Brunswick...
network.
Laferrière published his first novel, Comment faire l'amour avec un nègre sans se fatiguer
How To Make Love To A Negro Without Getting Tired
How to Make Love to A Negro Without Getting Tired is a French language film directed by Jacques W. Benoit, starring Isaach De Bankolé and written by Haitian author Dany Laferrière based on his novel of the same name.-Overview:In Montreal two African men, Man and Bouba, share an apartment...
(How To Make Love To A Negro Without Getting Tired
How To Make Love To A Negro Without Getting Tired
How to Make Love to A Negro Without Getting Tired is a French language film directed by Jacques W. Benoit, starring Isaach De Bankolé and written by Haitian author Dany Laferrière based on his novel of the same name.-Overview:In Montreal two African men, Man and Bouba, share an apartment...
) in 1985. The novel was later adapted into a screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
by Laferrière and Richard Sadler
Richard Sadler
Richard Sadler is a producer, scenarist and Director .- As a producer :* 1984 : The Gunrunner directed by Nardo Castillo...
, earning a Genie Award
Genie Award
Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
nomination for best adapted screenplay at the 11th Genie Awards
11th Genie Awards
The 11th annual Genie Awards were presented March 20, 1990 and honoured Canadian films released the previous year. For the first time ever the awards were broadcast by CTV, rather than CBC. Despite an extensive advertising campaign the ratings plummeted with only half as many people watching...
in 1990. The film adaptation of the novel starred Isaach De Bankolé
Isaach De Bankolé
Isaach or Isaac de Bankolé is an Ivorian actor.-Work:He has appeared in over 30 films, including Jim Jarmusch's Night on Earth, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, and Coffee and Cigarettes...
and was directed by Jacques W. Benoit.
He writes his novels exclusively in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, although some have been published in English with translations by David Homel.
The 2005 film Heading South (Vers Le Sud) was adapated from three of his short stories.
In 2009, Laferrière won the prestigious Prix Médicis
Prix Médicis
The Prix Médicis is a French literary award given each year in November. It was founded in 1958 by Gala Barbisan and Jean-Pierre Giraudoux. It is awarded to an author whose "fame does not yet match his talent."...
for his 11th novel, L'énigme du retour. Upon receiving the prize, he commented on its ability to open up a new readership in France, giving him visibility there. In the past Laferrière had always refused to be published in the fall, a season associated with the great literary prizes, but had been recommended to do so with "L'énigme du retour" by his editors. The novel follows Laferrière as he returns to his birthplace in Haïti, 33 years after he left it, upon learning of his father's death in New York. The narrative is somewhere between prose and poetry, nearing Japanese Haiku structures in some sections.
Laferrière lives in Montreal, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
Works
- Comment faire l'amour avec un nègre sans se fatiguer, 1985 (Éditions VLB) .
-
- English translation How to Make Love to a Negro Without Getting Tired, 1987 (Coach House Press)
- Éroshima, 1987 (Éditions VLB)
- English translation Eroshima, 1991 (Coach House Press)
- L'odeur du café, 1991 (Éditions VLB)
- English translation An Aroma of Coffee, 1993 (Coach House Press)
- Le goût des jeunes filles, 1992 (Éditions VLB)
- English translation Dining with the Dictator, 1994 (Coach House Press)
- Cette grenade dans la main du jeune nègre est-elle une arme ou un fruit?, 1993 (Éditions VLB)
- English translation Why Must a Black Writer Write About Sex?, 1994 (Coach House Press)
- Chronique de la dérive douce 1994 (Éditions VLB, poetryPoetryPoetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
)
- Chronique de la dérive douce 1994 (Éditions VLB, poetry
- English translation A Drifting Year, 1997 (Douglas & McIntyreDouglas & McIntyreDouglas & McIntyre is an independent Canadian publishing company founded in 1971. They are the publishers for such noted authors as Margaret Atwood and Douglas Coupland; poet Lorna Crozier; actress Kim Cattrall; chef John Bishop; and politician Mike Harcourt...
)- Pays sans chapeau, 1996 (Éditions Lanctôt)
- English translation Down Among the Dead Men, 1997 (Douglas & McIntyre)
- La chair du maître, 1997 (Éditions Lanctôt)
- Le charme des après-midi sans fin, 1997 (Éditions Lanctôt)
- Dans l'oeil du cyclone, 1999 (Éditions Lanctôt)
- Le cri des oiseaux foux, 2000 (Serpent à plumes)
- Je suis fatigué, 2000 (Les librairies initiales)
- Je suis fou de Vava, 2005 (Éditions de la Bagnole)
- Je suis un écrivain japonais
- La fête des morts, 2009 (Éditions de la Bagnole)
- L'énigme du retour, 2009 (Québec: Boréal, France: Grasset)
- English translation The Return, 2011 (Douglas & McIntyre)
- Tout bouge autour de moi, 2010 (Mémoire d'encrier)
- English translation How to Make Love to a Negro Without Getting Tired, 1987 (Coach House Press)
External links
- Harmattan.fr
- Dany Laferrière at The Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian Encyclopedia is a source of information on Canada. It is available online, at no cost. The Canadian Encyclopedia is available in both English and French and includes some 14,000 articles in each language on a wide variety of subjects including history, popular culture, events, people,...
- Critical bibliography (Auteurs.contemporain.info)