Edwidge Danticat’s latest novel is Claire of the Sea Light, the closest thing she’s ever written to a paranormal novel. The story takes place in Ville Rose, a little town in Haiti, where Nozias—a man of little means—is seriously considering giving his daughter Claire away to a better-off store owner. But Claire disappears and as the story develops, it becomes apparent that Claire Limyè Lanmè is no ordinary little girl.
In Part 1, Edwdige Danticat discussed everything from social media, to book title choice, and the use of the Creole language in novels. The conversation continues!
The Dew Breaker, The Farming of Bones, Breath, Eyes, Memory. Your novels have the most intriguing and poetic titles. Do you usually come up with the titles, and then write the novel? Or do you name your literary babies after their actual birth?
Some titles come before. Some come after. Some come during. Breath, Eyes, Memory, for example, was initially called Daughters of Haiti, until the editor brought a line from the book to my attention. The Farming of Bones comes from an expression some former cane workers used to tell me about, travay tè pou zo, working the land to the bone. The Dew Breaker is a literal translation of choukèt laroze, a henchman from the dictatorship era.
Your books have had some really interesting covers. Do you have a say with cover design?
The publisher usually sends me covers and thankfully, if I really hate a possible cover, they won’t go with it. They are also very much open to my suggestions. The cover photo for Claire of the Sea Light, for example, was taken by my friend Carl Juste and the cover girl is my oldest daughter Mira.
Do you tend to finish every novel you start?
I have at least four unfinished books in my drawer right now. Two of them might become one at some point in the future and two might never become anything at all.
All your heroines, from Sophie Caco to Ka and down have always inspired pity, empathy, and admiration. They’ve been good, well-meaning girls all around. Do you ever think about having a villainess as your main character?
That’s one of the novels in my drawer.
Out of all your novels and literary works, do you have a favorite?
Brother, I’m Dying because my father and uncle are alive in there.
Which one do you think would make a great Broadway musical?
Anacaona, Golden Flower, one of my children’s books.
At this point of your life, you’ve written nearly a dozen literary works. Do you sometimes revisit, say, your first book; your second book, and tell yourself, “Ugh, why did I write this! If I were writing this now, I’d do it so differently!” Like, do you wish you could rewrite some of your other earlier books, based on what you know now, as a human being who has done a lot more growing up, and a writer whose pen has gotten more mature?
I can’t even read some of the early work. Most writers will say that. Of course there is so much I would do differently, if I were writing those books now, but I had to write them to mature and that’s how it is.
What’s the most off-the-wall interpretation; wait-a-minute-I-never-intended-for-this you’ve ever had about one of your novels, either from a critic or from a reader?
I don’t consider any interpretation off the wall. When I’m done with a book, I realize it is no longer mine. I might disagree with an interpretation of something, but I never consider it off the wall.
Edwidge Danticat. Author. Wife. Mother. Daughter. Should the word feminist be added to the list of your descriptors?
Wi. Feel free to add it on. I am definitely a feminist.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I spend time with my family. I have two small children, so the “time when I’m not writing” is well accounted for.
What’s next for you?
I am currently editing Haiti Noir 2: The Classics. It will be published in January 2014. It’s a sequel to Haiti Noir, with many older stories. We have stories that have never been translated into English before from Ida Faubert—one of Haiti’s first published women writers—Jacques Roumain and Paulette Poujol Oriol. We also have stories from Lyonel Trouillot, Jan. J. Dominique, George Anglade, and Dany Laferrière, among others. I am extremely excited about this book. I think it will introduce—or reintroduce—a whole new generation of readers to some older as well as contemporary giants of our literature. And just as with Haiti Noir, part of the proceeds will go to one or several grassroots organizations in Haiti.
You can purchase Claire of the Sea Light HERE.
