Cathedral Of The August Heat - Softcover

Clitandre, Pierre

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0930523318 ISBN 13: 9780930523312

Publisher: UNKNO, 1987

Synopsis

A richly colored evocation of life in the slums of Port-au-Prince.

About this title

Review

EDWIDGE DANTICAT writes about this book: "Pierre Clitandre’s Cathedral of the August Heat is a compelling and captivating novel that takes us deep into the heart of a turbulent time in Port-au-Prince. Through the eyes of the witty and determined John, a tap-tap driver, we see the unique inhabitants of this gorgeously chaotic city in all their nuance and complexities. We witness their dreams and nightmares as they attempt yet another rebellion to change the course of their lives. This novel follows in the great tradition of those lyrical and political novels which portray the nuances of a world we think we know while unveiling both the beauty and horrors surrounding a nation and its people who, in spite of many attempts at destroying them, refuse to be either defeated or conquered.”

“Powerful moments, and a lively translation by the poet Bridget Jones” NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

“This extraordinary book...encapsulates what ‘the Third World’ is all about.” GUARDIAN

“A dreamlike prayer for Haitian liberation...compelling and forceful.” KIRKUS

“Clitandre uses the metaphor of the August feast day of the Assumption of Mary to chronicle the hope of a dispossessed people who, although independent, still suffer political persecution. Jones’s translation flows easily. Her use of pidgin English preserves the authenticity of the characters’ Creole speech. Recommended for general readers interested in the beauty of Haitian folklore and for students of Caribbean literature.” CHOICE

“Exciting...makes this story part of our shared Caribbean history.” Poet EDWARD KAMAU BRAITHWAITE

From Publishers Weekly

Haitian writer Clitandre blends traditional narrative, fragments of conversation, dreams and visions to bring to life the shantytown surrounding Port-au-Prince, where John, a bus driver, his son Raphael and their fellow denizens experience a hideous poverty that is outside the ken of most Americans. Time is fluid and is marked more by children growing upor dyingthan by dates, since the community is too poor to buy new calendars every year. "Progress" comes only in the form of electricity, and ominous factory sheds, where workers are locked in all day, push many of the poor into the swamp. Brutal police curtail the shanty dwellers' few freedoms. But in this novel, the poor have had enough. After Raphael is murdered by the police, John leads the people in concert with farmers from the countryside in an uprising on the anniversary of Haiti's independence. Jones masterfully translates Haitian patois into West Indian English.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: UNKNO
• Publication date: 1987
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0930523318
• ISBN 13: 9780930523312
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 180