[Paul, Franck Laraque], Franck's brother and co-author, was not present in Boston for the event, but his spirit was represented by Lesly René, Laforèt Petit-Frère and [Jacques Antoine Jean] who read his poems from the bilingual, English-Creole anthology Open Gate: An Anthology of Haitian Creole Poetry (Curbstone Press, 2002) which Paul Laraque edited and other volumes (see Boston Haitian Reporter of May 2002). A revolutionary poet, he once corresponded with the celebrated French Surrealist guru André Breton, and was among the entourage of poets and intellectuals (René Depestre, Jacques Stephen Alexis, Théodore Baker, Gérald Bloncourt, Gérard Chenet, Pierre Mabile, etc.) who welcomed Breton in Port-au-Prince during the latter's famous visit to Haiti in December 1945.
African American Research Center, Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Notes:
312 p., Argues for inclusion of more Afro-Hispanic poets in the Caribbean literary canon. This book offers an introductory overview of the literary tradition of Black writing in the Hispanic Caribbean. It also provides a survey of black poets.
