French

Story posted June 07, 2012

Wednesday, April 4, 7pm

Award-winning author Dany Laferrière, born and raised in Haiti, fled the Duvalier dictatorship in 1976 and spent the next two decades living and writing in Montréal and Miami. Winner of the prestigious Prix Médicis, for L’énigme du retour (2009), he has written fourteen novels, two collections of essays, and directed a film adaptation of one of his works.

While at Bowdoin, Mr. Laferrière spoke to two classes on francophone literature, and answered questions following a public viewing of the documentary film La Dérive douce d'un enfant de Petit-Goâve / Gentle Drifiting of a Little Boy from Petit-Goâve, based on his life.

Profs. Jay Ketner and Isabelle Choquet included novels by Mr. Laferrière in the readings for each of their francophone courses. Students of their classes had the chance to discuss his novels L'Odeur du café and Je suis un écrivain japonais with Mr. Laferrière in class, and have lunch with him afterwards.