Carpentier and Haiti

doi:10.1017/9781009554824.008

Chapter 7 - Carpentier and Haiti

from Part I - The Making of the Author

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 May 2026

Elzbieta Sklodowska

Edited by

Anke Birkenmaier

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Anke Birkenmaier: Affiliation:
Indiana University

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Summary

Haiti was a remarkably constant presence in Carpentier’s life and its imprint on his narrative fiction and essays has been profound, far-reaching, and indelible. Carpentier’s fascination with Haiti begins with his first novel, ¡Écue-Yamba-Ó! (1933), culminates in The Kingdom of This World (1949) and resurfaces within the transatlantic context of the French Revolution in yet another major work, Explosion in the Cathedral (1962). While traces of Haiti appear in myriad formal and conceptual manifestations throughout Carpentier’s oeuvre, in this essay I suggest that the notion of the Plantationocene, forged by Donna Haraway and Donna Tsing, carries significant critical potential for refocusing Carpentier’s links with Haiti in a manner that is both transdisciplinary and cross-historical.

Keywords

Alejo Carpentier Haiti ¡Écue-Yamba-Ó!Haitians in Cuba Haitian Revolution The Kingdom of This World plantation Plantationocene

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Type: Chapter
Information: Alejo Carpentier in Context , pp. 74 - 88
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009554824.008 [Opens in a new window]
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2026

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References

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