On the sun-drenched island of Haiti in the 1970s, under the shadow of “Baby Doc” Duvalier’s notorious regime, locals eke out an existence as servants, bartenders and panderers to the white elite. Fanfan, Charlie, and Legba, aware of the draw of their adolescent, black bodies, seduce rich, middle-aged white tourists looking for respite from their colourless jobs and marriages.
These “relationships” mirror the power struggle inherent in all transactions in Port-au-Prince’s seedy back streets. Heading South takes us into the world of artists, rappers, Voodoo priests, hotel owners, uptight Parisian journalists and partner-swapping Haitian lovers, all desperately trying to balance happiness with survival.
Made into an award-winning film starring Charlotte Rampling, this provocative novel, translated for the first time into English, explores the lines between sexual liberation and exploitation, artistic freedom and appropriation, independence and colonialism.
About the author
Dany Laferrière worked as a journalist in his native Haiti during the notorious Duvalier regime, immigrating to Canada in 1978 after a colleague with whom he was collaborating on a story was murdered. He has also worked as a TV and radio host, screenwriter, and director. The author of 13 novels, he has won several awards, including the prestigious Prix Médicis and the Governor Generals award for a Children’s novel. Dany Laferrière lives in Montreal, Canada.
Wayne Grady is the author of eleven books, the editor of fourteen literary anthologies, and the former editor of Harrowsmith magazine. One of the finest literary translators in the country, he has won the Governor General’s Award for Translation and the John Glassco Prize for Literary Translation. He lives in Kingston, Ontario, and teaches creative writing and translation at the University of British Columbia.
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