Introduction


Edwidge Danticat
Edwidge Danticat is one of the few successful Haitian authors to write in English. Danticat’s parents moved from Haiti to New York, leaving Danticat and her brother with an aunt and uncle for many years. She was exposed to storytelling throughout this period, and it greatly influenced her development as a writer later on. Danticat felt very isolated while her parents were away and keenly felt their loss. Even though she moved to New York to join them when she was twelve, she never forgot the pain of being motherless, even for a short time. Her thesis for her MFA in creative writing was published in 1994. While not purely autobiographical, the work does deal with a young Haitian woman and her struggle to assimilate into American society.

Essential Facts

  1. Danticat’s first attempt at writing came when she received a set of Madeleine books. She then wrote Madeleine stories with herself as the main character.
  2. After earning her MFA, Danticat worked for filmmaker Jonathan Demme. One of her jobs was as an associate producer for a documentary about torture in Haiti called Courage and Pain.
  3. Danticat published a collection of short stories in 1995 called Krik? Krak! The title is based on her native Creole language. The question “Krik?” is equivalent to asking permission to tell a story. The reply “Krak!” means, “Sure!”
  4. In 1998, Breath, Eyes, Memory became an Oprah’s Book Club selection.
  5. Krik? Krak! was nominated for the National Book Award in 1995.