Meet Fabienne Josaphat, author of DANCING IN THE BARON'S SHADOW on Sunday, February 13 from 3 pm - 5 pm.
About DANCING IN THE BARON'S SHADOW: Josaphat's electric prose brings to life a horrifying and not so distant time in Haiti's past while exploring the best and worst of humanity. The novel examines power's tendency to corrupt, the impulse of nationalistic pride, and above all, the human desire to survive, while describing in rigorous detail the shocking realities of life in the Baron's shadow.
Haiti, 1965. Nicolas, a bourgeois socialist is sent to the notorious Fort Dimanche prison by dictator Papa Doc's militia, and his brother Raymond must try to save him.
Haiti, 1965. Francois Duvalier, often called Papa Doc or Baron Samedi, is a brutal dictator using extreme violence to control the impoverished island nation. Unrelenting curfews are imposed on the people of Port-au-Prince and the ever-present bogeymen, Tonton Macoutes militia, have scared away even the bravest of tourists. For taxi driver Raymond L'Eveillé, life under these conditions is becoming increasingly untenable. Unable to properly feed his wife and young children, or pay the rent on time, Raymond's family is on the brink of destitution. By contrast, Raymond's brother Nicolas is a wealthy professor at the local university. A believer in law and justice, Nicolas is secretly writing a socialist manifesto, in an attempt to rally support for those that oppose Papa Doc's harsh dictatorship. When Nicolas' home is searched as a result of his liberal lectures, the violent and unfeeling Tonton Macoutes quickly arrest him and send him to Fort Dimanche, an over-filled, disease-ridden prison that few survive. Meanwhile, Raymond comes home to find his wife has left with their children, hoping to build a better life for her starving family abroad.
With his family gone, and as Nicolas' colleagues continue to disappear, Raymond plunges into a daring scheme to save his brother. The harrowing experience shared by the two brothers is brutal, heartbreaking and ultimately triumphant.
About FABIENNE JOSAPHAT: She received her M.F.A. in creative writing from Florida International University. Dancing in the Baron’s Shadow is her first novel. She lives in Miami.
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