Miami Book Fair spotlights the expanding reach of Haitian storytelling

Haitian and Haitian American writers say the rise of English-language literature marks a significant shift in diaspora identity and expression.

Edwidge Danticat remembers the skepticism she encountered at the beginning of her career three decades ago.

“It was so strange to some people that you could call yourself a Haitian writer and write in English,” Danticat said. 

At the time, she only knew of one other Haitian author who wrote in English, and one who wrote in Spanish—most Haitian authors published in French or Creole. “There was so much discussion about where we fit in,” she said. 

In the years that have passed since the publication of her acclaimed debut novel “Breath, Eyes, Memory” in 1994, the number and visibility of Haitian writers publishing in English has grown significantly. 

This week, Danticat is one of several Haitian English-language writers featured at the Miami Book Fair, one of the country’s largest literary gatherings, organized by Miami Dade College.

The 42nd edition of the fair, which began on Nov. 16 and will run until Nov. 23, will also include several panels highlighting aspects of Haitian culture, from Vodou, to health in Haitian communities to Cross-Caribbean relations. 

Danticat will be presenting her latest children’s picture book, “Watch Out for Falling Iguanas,” set in Miami and illustrated by Rachel Moss. 

Other Haitian authors featured include Marlene Daut, who is presenting “The First and Last King of Haiti,” her biography of Haitian King Henry Christophe, Fabienne Josaphat, promoting her historical fiction novel “Kingdom of No Tomorrow,” and Ibi Zoboi, who will discuss her latest young adult fiction book, “(S)kin.” 

Diaspora Voices

If the idea of a Haitian author writing in English shocked some 30 years ago, it is not nearly as shocking today, believes Zoboi, whose debut young adult novel “American Street” telling the story of a young Haitian immigrant in Detroit came out in 2017 to critical acclaim. “I think people have moved on from that idea, thankfully or hopefully,” Zoboi said. 

Waves of emigration have created Haitian diasporas across the Americas, expanding the linguistic scope of Haitian literature, explained Daut, professor of French and African Diaspora studies at Yale University.

With the largest diaspora community now in the United States, English has become a language of choice among Haitian writers outside Haiti. And Spanish is also on the rise, shaped by Haitian communities in the Dominican Republic, Chile, Mexico, and elsewhere.

While Haitian authors were traditionally translated into English to be made accessible to a foreign audience, books written in English by Haitian authors are now being translated into French and soon, Daut hopes, into Creole, to be made accessible to a Haitian audience, she explained. 

“I think that that is the mark of maybe a true step of progress in the right direction, from a linguistics standpoint,” she said. “We want the literature, the great works of Haitian thought to be available in all the languages, ideally.”

Writers say the growing number of authors in the diaspora is reshaping Haitian literature in ways that go beyond language. With Haitian communities now spread across the world, and with more second and third-generation writers adding their own perspectives, the stories and experiences entering the canon are becoming increasingly varied.

“I’m just excited to see the literature that emerges from those folks who went to Chile, from those folks who went to Brazil, from those folks who were in Tijuana. Their children, what stories will they tell?” said Danticat.

Growing Visibility

In parallel, Haitian authors have been growing in visibility within the American literary world.

“It seems for a long time, there were very few Haitian voices that could break into the mainstream in the United States,” said Daut. “And now, I’m so excited to see even the other panelists.”

Josaphat’s “Kingdom of No Tomorrow” was awarded the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction in 2023.

Zoboi’s (S)kin is nominated for the prestigious National Book Awards for Young People’s Literature, a second nomination for the author after “American Street” was a finalist in the same category in 2017. The ceremony, which will take place in New York on Nov. 19, will also honor Haitian-American author Roxane Gay with the 2025 Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community. 

“There’s this biggest event in American literature and two Haitian women are front and center. It’s not like we’re taking over, like we’ve reached the pinnacle, but we have these amazing women there,” said Danticat.

“We’ve always been punching above our weight,” she added. “And I think that’s something that will continue, but in so many different possible ways.”

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