Dany Laferrière facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dany Laferrière
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Dany Laferrière in 2014
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| Born | Windsor Kléber Laferrière 13 April 1953 Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
| Occupation | Novelist, journalist |
| Language | French |
| Citizenship | Haitian, Canadian |
| Children | Melissa Laferriere-Tucker |
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Dany Laferrière is a famous Haitian-Canadian writer and filmmaker. He is known for his powerful stories and has won many awards for his work. He writes in French and lives between Montreal, Canada, and Paris, France.
In 2013, he achieved a great honor by being elected to the Académie française (the French Academy). This group is in charge of protecting the French language. Laferrière was the first person from Haiti and the first from Canada to join.
Contents
Early Life and Move to Canada
Dany Laferrière was born as Windsor Klébert Laferrière on April 13, 1953, in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. He grew up in the smaller town of Petit-Goâve. As a young man, he worked as a journalist.
In 1976, he moved to Montreal, Canada. There, he continued to work as a journalist and even hosted television shows. This move was a very important part of his life and often appears in his writing.
A Career in Writing and Film
In 1985, Laferrière published his first novel. The book was very popular and was later turned into a movie. Laferrière helped write the movie script, which was nominated for a Genie Award, a top Canadian film award.
Laferrière writes all his books in French. Many of them have been translated into English so more people can read them.
From Books to Movies
Besides his first book, other novels by Laferrière have also been made into films. These include On the Verge of a Fever (Le Goût des jeunes filles) in 2004 and Heading South (Vers le sud) in 2005.
He is also a filmmaker himself. He wrote the scripts for the movies Voodoo Taxi (1991) and How to Conquer America in One Night (2004). He even directed the second film.
Major Awards and Honors
Laferrière's work has been celebrated with many important awards.
The Prix Médicis
In 2009, he won the famous Prix Médicis for his novel L'énigme du retour (The Enigma of the Return). This is one of France's top literary prizes. Winning the award helped many more people in France discover his books.
The novel is about his return to Haiti after 33 years away. He went back after learning his father had passed away in New York City. The book is written in a unique style that is a mix of story and poetry.
Joining the Académie française
On December 12, 2013, Laferrière was elected to Seat number 2 of the Académie française. This was a historic moment. He became the first Haitian, the first Canadian, and the first person from Quebec to receive this honor. He was only the second Black person to be inducted, after the poet Léopold Sédar Senghor from Senegal.
Other Important Awards
- 2014: He won the International Literature Award from the House of World Cultures in Germany for his novel The Enigma of the Return.
- 2014: He was made an officer of the National Order of Quebec, a high honor in the province of Quebec.
- 2015: He was awarded the Order of Canada, one of Canada's highest civilian honors.
- 2016: He received the Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award for his contributions to literature.
Selected Works
Dany Laferrière has written many books. Here are a few of his well-known works:
- L'odeur du café (1991), translated as An Aroma of Coffee
- Chronique de la dérive douce (1994), translated as A Drifting Year
- Pays sans chapeau (1996), translated as Down Among the Dead Men
- L'énigme du retour (2009), translated as The Enigma of the Return
- Tout bouge autour de moi (2010), translated as The World is Moving Around Me
- Journal d'un écrivain en pyjama (2013), which means Diary of a Writer in Pajamas
See also
In Spanish: Dany Laferrière para niños
