On November 24, 2011, starting at 8:00pm, Kettly Mars (Haiti) presents the Dutch translation of her novel Saisons sauvages at the MC Theatre’s Grote zaal (Great Hall) in Amsterdam. She will be joined by visual artist Natasja Kensmil and singer Shirma Rouse. The evening events will be led by journalist Tanja Fraai. Lucia Nankoe, novelist and critic is the curator for this evening. The event is free and open to the public.

Kettly Mars is one of the 2011 Prince Claus laureates. With the prize, the Prince Claus Fund honored her bold approach in addressing unconventional topics, which has given new impetus to Caribbean literature. At this event, Mars will read passages from the book and she will speak about some of the major themes highlighted in the text.

Description: Saisons sauvages takes place in the Port-au-Prince of the 1960s and is framed within the François Duvalier era, where tontons macoutes systematically eliminate the regime’s opponents. Daniel Leroy, editor-in-chief of a newspaper that opposes the regime has been imprisoned for his political views. The plot follows his wife Nirvah as she attempts to save her husband. Appealing to a shady but influential chief of police of humble origins, Raoul Vincent, she falls into a complex and ambiguous web of power, submitting to official’s desire to ensure survival of her husband and protect her family. Nirvah must withstand the scrutiny of her community and the “muted questions of her own children.” As the publisher states, “Kettly Mars describes a pivotal and painful period of Haiti’s history and weaves together two stories: the intimate—the fate of Nirvah and her family—and the universal—a dictatorial political regime of Duvalier and its abuses.”

For original post (in Dutch), see http://caraibischeletteren.blogspot.com/