Dany Laferrière
Who was Dany Laferrière?
Haitian-Canadian writer who gained international recognition for his autobiographical novel 'How to Make Love to a Negro Without Getting Tired' and became the first Haitian elected to the Académie française in 2013.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Dany Laferrière (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Windsor Klébert Laferrière, known as Dany Laferrière, was born on April 13, 1953, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He went to Collège Canado-Haïtien in Haiti, but political issues forced him to leave. In 1976, after his friend and fellow journalist Gasner Raymond was killed by the Tonton Macoutes, the paramilitary force under the Duvalier dictatorship, Laferrière fled Haiti and moved to Montreal, Canada, where he would start his literary career.
In Montreal, Laferrière initially worked in a factory and later returned to journalism before publishing his first novel in 1985. The novel, "Comment faire l'amour avec un nègre sans se fatiguer," known in English as "How to Make Love to a Negro Without Getting Tired," stirred controversy and drew attention for its provocative title and bold look at race, sex, and identity. The book was adapted into a film in 1989, highlighting his crossover from literature to cinema. Its success marked Laferrière as an original voice in francophone literature.
Laferrière wrote extensively over the following decades, often drawing on his life experiences, memories, and his Haitian background. His stories frequently touch on his childhood in Petit-Goâve, where he lived with his grandmother after his father went into exile, and his life as an immigrant in North America. His 2009 novel "L'Énigme du retour," about a man's return to Haiti after his father's death, won the Prix Médicis in France, cementing his reputation in Europe’s literary scene.
In December 2013, Laferrière was elected to seat 2 of the Académie française, the respected institution that governs the French language. He was formally inducted in May 2015, becoming the first Haitian writer to hold such a position in the institution's long history. The honor recognized not only his personal achievements but also the contributions of Caribbean and Haitian literature to the French-speaking world. Laferrière splits his time between Montreal and Paris and continues to write, paint, and engage in public life.
Before Fame
Dany Laferrière grew up in Petit-Goâve, Haiti, mostly raised by his maternal grandmother after his father, a politician, went into exile. His childhood, filled with storytelling, close community ties, and the unique pace of life in Haiti under a strict government, often inspired his writing. He went to Collège Canado-Haïtien in Port-au-Prince and worked as a journalist in Haiti during Jean-Claude Duvalier's oppressive regime.
The murder of his colleague Gasner Raymond in 1976 led to his leaving Haiti. Arriving in Montreal with little money, Laferrière took on manual jobs before settling into life in Canada. During this time of upheaval and starting over, he began writing more seriously, using his experiences of exile, cultural shifts, and racial identity in his stories, eventually gaining international recognition.
Key Achievements
- First Haitian writer elected to the Académie française, taking seat 2 in December 2013 and inducted in May 2015.
- Won the Prix Médicis in 2009 for L'Énigme du retour, one of France's most prestigious literary prizes.
- Authored the internationally recognized debut novel How to Make Love to a Negro Without Getting Tired (1985), which was adapted into a film in 1989.
- Received the Governor General's Award for French-language children's literature in 2006.
- Named Commander of the Legion of Honour and Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres by the French government.
Did You Know?
- 01.His birth name is Windsor Klébert Laferrière, though he has written and been known publicly under the name Dany Laferrière throughout his career.
- 02.He worked in a meatpacking factory in Montreal after arriving in Canada in 1976, an experience that informed his early writing about immigrant life.
- 03.His debut novel was written in just a few months and was rejected by several publishers before finding one willing to take it on; it went on to become a bestseller in Quebec.
- 04.When the 2010 earthquake struck Haiti, Laferrière happened to be in Port-au-Prince and witnessed the disaster firsthand, an experience he later recounted in his book Tout bouge autour de moi.
- 05.He is also a painter, and visual art has been a sustained parallel practice alongside his writing throughout his adult life.
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Commander of the Legion of Honour | — | — |
| Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres | — | — |
| Prix Carbet de la Caraïbe et du Tout-Monde | 1991 | — |
| Prix RFO du livre | 2002 | — |
| Governor General's Award for French-language children's literature | 2006 | — |
| Prix Médicis | 2009 | — |
| Grand Prix Metropolis bleu | 2010 | — |
| Quebec bookseller's award | 2010 | — |
| honorary doctorate at École Normale Supérieure de Lyon | 2010 | — |
| Officer of the National Order of Quebec | 2014 | — |
| Companion of the Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec | 2015 | — |
| doctor honoris causa from the Pierre and Marie Curie University | 2016 | — |
| doctor honoris causa from the Paris-Sorbonne University | 2016 | — |
| Officer of the Order of Montreal | 2017 | — |
| Officer of the Order of Canada | 2017 | — |
| Honorary doctor of the University of Ottawa | 2017 | — |
| honorary doctorate from the McGill University | 2018 | — |