The poems and multifaceted novels of Makenzy Orcel (born 1983* in Port-au-Prince, Haiti) reflect the key characteristics of Haitian literature: a return to ancient traditions, to voices from the afterlife and to the mythologies of everyday life, the exploration of personal trauma, a penchant for poetry and oral literature, the constant rewriting of Haiti’s history and memories of violence, the tireless search for meaning, truth and beauty in the world, and the creolisation of the French language. With the novels *L’Ombre animal* (2016) and *Une somme humaine* (2022), the Haitian writer began a trilogy of the dead, the final part of which is yet to be published.
As part of the transnational Graz Literature Days “Weltwortreisende,” a literary matinee will take place at the Bibliothek am Wall, where students from the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures at the University of Graz will speak with the author about his series of novels and what it means to write about and observe the world from Haiti—even when one does not live in Haiti.
Moderators: Helene Ràth-Vègh, Sophie Thomaser
Interpreter: Alexandra Marics (French)
Organizers: Andrea Renker, Verena Richter
You can find the full festival program here: https://www.weltwortreisende.at/programm/
