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Chapo Ba: Justin Lhérisson, Man of Letters and Historian (1873-1907)

Chapo Ba…in which we give a brief tribute to someone who has had a significant impact on Haitian culture.

Today’s Chapo Ba goes out to Justin Lhérisson.

Lherisson’s name will always go down in Haitian history for writing “La Dessalinelienne”, which is the Haitian National Anthem.

In recent years, many have recognized him for being among one of the very first writers to write in Creole. His novel La famille des Pitite-Caille: les fortunes de chez nous, published in 1904 had huge portions in Creole, although it was written mostly in French.

In his book A History of Literature in the Caribbean: Hispanic and Francophone Regions, literary pundit Albert James Arnold
praised Lhérisson being the first Haitian novelist to create a literary work that tackled incest and sexual abuse. The literary work in question was his 1904 novel Zoune Chez sa Ninaine (Zoune at Her Grandmother’s Godmother’s House-thanks reader!), also recognized for its sensitive treatment of Haitian peasant life.

A lawyer, Lhérisson was also a historian and a poet, writing three volumes of poetry Les Chants de l’Aurore and Passe-temps, both published in 1893, and Myrtha, published the previous year.

Among Lhérisson’s accomplishments was the founding of Le Soir, the Haitian version of People magazine of its day (in terms of popularity), with literary substance.

Born Alexis Michel Justin Lhérisson in Port-au-Prince in 1873, Lhérisson was 34 years old at his death.

K St. Fort
K St. Fort
ABOUT K. St Fort K. St. Fort is the Editor and Founder of, well, Kreyolicious.com and wishes to give you a heartfelt welcome to her site. She loves to read, write, and listen to music and is fascinated by her Haitian roots, and all aspects of her culture. Speaking of music, she likes it loud, really, really loud. Like bicuspid valve raising-loud. Her other love are the movies. She was once a Top 50 finalist for a student screenwriting competition, encouraging her to continue pounding the pavement. She has completed several screenplays, with Haiti as the backdrop, one of which tackles sexual abuse in an upper middle class Haitian family, while another has child slavery as its subject. She is currently completing another script, this time a thriller, about two sisters who reunite after nearly 10 years of separation. A strong believer in using films to further educational purposes, and to raise awareness about important subjects, she has made it a point to write about social issues facing Haiti, and making them an integral part of her projects. She has interviewed such Haitian-American celebrities as Roxane Gay, Garcelle Beauvais, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Briana Roy, Karen Civil, and many, many more. And that’s her writing this whole biographical sketch. She actually thinks writing about herself in the third person is cute. MY WEBSITE Kreyolicious ™: kree-ohl-lish-uh s: Surely an adjective…the state of being young, gorgeous, fine and utterly Haitian. Kreyolicious.com™, the hub for young, upwardly mobile Haitian-Americans, is akin to a 18th Century cultural salon but with a Millennium sensibility–an inviting lair, where we can discuss literature, music, problems facing the community, and everything on the side and in-between. Kreyolicious is the premier lifestyle, culture and entertainment blog and brand of the hip, young, trend-oriented, forward thinking Haitian-American. It’s the definite hot spot to learn more about Haiti our emerging identity as a people, and explore our pride and passion about our unique and vibrant culture. Within the site’s pages, Kreyolicious.com is going to engage you, empower you, and deepen your connection to everything Haitian: the issues, the culture, our cinema, the history, our cuisine, the style, the music, the worldwide community. Make yourself at home in my cultural salon. If you’re looking to learn more about Haiti, Kreyolicious.com invites you to board this trolley on a journey–on our journey. For me too, it is a process, a non-ending cultural odyssey. If you’re already acculturated, I can certainly learn something from you. We can learn from one other, for certain. With my site, Kreyolicious.com I look forward to inspiring you, to enriching you, and to participating alongside of you, in the cultural celebration. And being utterly kreyolicious. How do you wear your kreyoliciousness? On your sleeves, like I do? Kreyoliciously Yours, Your girl K. St. Fort, Ahem, follow me elsewhere!

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