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Dany Laferrière (born Windsor Kléber Laferrière, 13 April 1953) is a Haitian-Canadian novelist and journalist who writes in French. He was elected to seat 2 of the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

on 12 December 2013, and inducted in May 2015.

Life

Born in

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is define ...

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and s ...

, and raised in Petit-Goâve, Laferrière worked as a journalist in Haiti before moving to Canada in 1976.

Brian Busby Brian John Busby (born August 29, 1962) is a Canadian literary historian and anthologist. Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, he attended John Abbott College and Concordia University. Busby began his writing career writing daytime soap opera ...

"Dany Laferrière"
''

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available f ...

'', November 16, 2009. He also worked as a journalist in Canada, and hosted television programming for the TQS network. Laferrière published his first novel, ''

How to Make Love to a Negro Without Getting Tired ''How to Make Love to a Negro Without Getting Tired'' (french: Comment faire l'amour avec un nègre sans se fatiguer) is a 1989 French-language Canadian drama film directed by , starring Isaach de Bankolé and Maka Kotto, and written by Haitian au ...

(Comment faire l'amour avec un nègre sans se fatiguer)'' in 1985. The novel was later adapted into a

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, f ...

by Laferrière and

Richard Sadler Richard Sadler (born March 18, 1947, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is a producer, scenarist and film director. Biography Filmography As a producer * 1984 : '' The Gunrunner'' directed by Nardo Castillo * 1989 : '' How to Make Love to a ...

, earning a

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for sc ...

nomination for best adapted screenplay at the

11th Genie Awards The 11th annual Genie Awards were presented March 20, 1990, and honoured Canadian films released in 1989. For this year, CTV had negotiated to serve as broadcaster and the academy formed a wholly-owned subsidiary, ACCTV Productions, to independen ...

in 1990. The film adaptation of the novel starred Isaach De Bankolé and was directed by Jacques W. Benoit. Laferrière writes exclusively in French, although some of his works have been published in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

translation by

David Homel David Homel (born 1952) is an American-Canadian writer and literary translator.Ian McGillis"Montreal's David Homel counsels self-forgiveness in new memoir" ''Montreal Gazette'', April 23, 2021. He is most noted as a two-time winner of the Govern ...

. Several further films have been adapted from his work, including ''

On the Verge of a Fever ''On the Verge of a Fever'' (french: Le Goût des jeunes filles) is a 2004 Canadian drama film, directed by John L'Ecuyer. An adaptation of Dany Laferrière's novel ''Dining with the Dictator (Le Goût des jeunes filles)'', the film is set in Hait ...

(Le Goût des jeunes filles)'' in 2004 and ''

Heading South ''Heading South'' (french: Vers le sud) is a 2005 French-Canadian-Belgian drama film directed by Laurent Cantet and based on three short stories by Dany Laferrière. It depicts the experiences of three middle-aged white women in the late 1970s, tr ...

(Vers le sud)'' in 2005. He also wrote the original screenplays for ''

Voodoo Taxi Voodoo may refer to: Religions * African or West African Vodun, practiced by Gbe-speaking ethnic groups * African diaspora religions, a list of related religions sometimes called Vodou/Voodoo ** Candomblé Jejé, also known as Brazilian Vodu ...

'' in 1991 and ''

How to Conquer America in One Night ''How to Conquer America in One Night'' (french: Comment conquérir l'Amérique en une nuit) is a Canadian comedy film, directed by Dany Laferrière and released in 2004. The film centres on the relationship between Fanfan (Maka Kotto), a Haitian ...

(Comment conquérir l'Amérique en une nuit)'' in 2004, and was the director of the latter. 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 Haiti, 33 years after he left it, upon learning of his father's death in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The narrative blurs the line between prose and poetry, resembling

haiku is a type of short form poetry originally from Japan. Traditional Japanese haiku consist of three phrases that contain a '' kireji'', or "cutting word", 17 '' on'' (phonetic units similar to syllables) in a 5, 7, 5 pattern, and a '' kigo'', or ...

structures in some sections. On 12 December 2013, Laferrière was elected on the first round of balloting to Seat no. 2 of the

, becoming the first Haitian, the first Canadian and the first Quebecer to receive that honour. He is the second black person to have been inducted, the first being

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...

ese writer and statesman Léopold Sédar Senghor in 1983. On 3 June 2014, he was awarded the

International Literature Award International Literature Award (''German'': Internationaler Literaturpreis – Haus der Kulturen der Welt) is a German literary award for international prose translated into German for the first time.House of World Cultures The Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW), in English House of the World's Cultures, in Berlin is Germany's national center for the presentation and discussion of international contemporary arts, with a special focus on non-European cultures and s ...

for his novel ''The Return'' (''L'enigme du retour''). In 2014, he was appointed officer of the

National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as ''l'Ordre national du Québec'', and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is an order of merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Govern ...

. In 2015, Laferrière was awarded the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

with the grade of officer. In 2016, Laferrière won the Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award for his literary achievements. Laferrière lives in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

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),

Prix RFO du livre The prix RFO du livre was a French literary prize awarded annually from 1995 to 2010 by RFO to a Francophone work of fiction linked to French overseas departments and territories Overseas France (french: France d'outre-mer) consists of 13 ...

(2002) :: English translation ''Why Must a Black Writer Write About Sex?'', 1994 (Coach House Press) * ''Chronique de la dérive douce'' 1994 (Éditions VLB,

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meani ...

) :: English translation ''A Drifting Year'', 1997 (

Douglas & McIntyre Douglas and McIntyre (2013) Ltd. is a Canadian book publishing firm. Douglas & McIntyre was founded by James Douglas and Scott McIntyre in 1971 as an independent publishing company based in Vancouver. Reorganized with new owners in 2008 as D&M ...

) * ''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) * ''Le cri des oiseaux fous'', 2000 ( Serpent à plumes) * ''J'écris comme je vis ; Entretien avec Bernard Magnier'', 2000 (Éditions La passe du vent) * ''Je suis fatigué'', 2000 ( Les librairies initiales) * ''Je suis fou de Vava'', 2005 (Éditions de la Bagnole) *Pays sans chapeau, 2006 (Éditions du Boréal) *Vers le Sud, 2006 (Grasset) English translation ''Heading South'', 2008 (

) * ''Je suis un écrivain japonais'' :: English translation ''I Am a Japanese Writer'', 2010 (

) * ''La fête des morts'', 2009 (Éditions de la Bagnole) * ''L'énigme du retour'', 2009 (Québec: Boréal, France: Grasset) :: English translation ''The Enigma of the Return'', 2011 (Douglas & McIntyre) * ''Tout bouge autour de moi'', 2010 ( Mémoire d'encrier) :: English translation "The World is Moving Around Me", 2013 (Arsenal Pulp Press) * ''L'Art presque perdu de ne rien faire'', 2011 (Boréal) * ''Journal d'un écrivain en pyjama'', 2013 (Montréal: Mémoire d'encrier) * Tout ce qu'on ne te dira pas, Mongo, 2015 (Montréal: Mémoire d'encrier) Further reading *Beniamin Vasile, ''Dany Laferrière: l'autodidacte et le processus de création'', Paris: l'Harmattan, collection "Critiques Littéraires", 2008

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Laferriere, Dany 1953 births Black Canadian filmmakers Black Canadian writers Canadian male novelists 20th-century Canadian poets 21st-century Canadian poets Canadian poets in French Film directors from Montreal Haitian Quebecers Governor General's Award-winning children's writers Haitian emigrants to Canada Haitian male novelists Writers from Montreal People from Port-au-Prince Prix Médicis winners Members of the Académie Française Living people Canadian novelists in French Canadian male poets Officers of the National Order of Quebec Officers of the Order of Canada 20th-century Haitian novelists 20th-century Haitian poets 21st-century Haitian novelists 21st-century Haitian poets 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers 20th-century Canadian screenwriters 21st-century Canadian screenwriters Canadian screenwriters in French Canadian children's writers in French