Edwidge Danticat
Edwidge Danticat
Edwidge Danticatis a Haitian–American novelist and short story writer...
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth19 January 1969
thinking community stories
I think it's hard for an outsider to capture the flavor of a community and all its nuances, so ultimately Haitian-Americans need to start sharing intimate accounts of their stories.
writing hair unity
When you write ,it's like braiding your hair. Taking a handful of coarse unruly strands and attempting to bring then unity.
people hiding should
Life was neither something you defended by hiding nor surrendered calmly on other people's terms, but something you lived bravely, out in the open, and that if you had to lose it, you should lose it on your own terms.
rain love-is pouring
Love is like the rain. It comes in a drizzle sometimes. Then it starts pouring and if you're not careful it will drown you.
castro glue held revolution states time together united
You have also at the same time Castro and the revolution being the glue that held the United States together with a lot of these dictators.
echoes voice space
The people did not elect me. I speak with one voice that may echo other people, but I am part of a group of people. That's not distancing yourself from a community, that's also allowing the space for others to speak for themselves.
years haiti united-states
In Haiti you had the Duvaliers for 29 years and they were very well supported by the United States.
years haiti facts
And the fact that Haiti was occupied for 19 years by the United States, from 1915 to 1934.
new-york past hair
The past is like the hair on our head. I moved to New York when I was twelve, but you always have this feeling that wherever you come from, you physically leave it, but it doesn't leave you.
tiny cups waterfalls
All anyone can hope for is just a tiny bit of love, like a drop in a cup if you can get it, or a waterfall, a flood, if you can get that too.
thank-you years people
More and more people are able to access information - thank goodness we have the Internet and if you are interested you can find things. Which is different than even 20 years ago.
literature needs humans
We need literature because we wouldn’t fully know ourselves without it. We need good literature to be fully human.
hate people groups
I would hate for people to generalize about every Haitian from something that one Haitian did, or a group of Haitians did.
struggle writing tools
I was able to not fold and go in a corner because I had my writing as therapy, but also as my tool for struggle.