Novel
La Famille des Pitite-Caille
Not translated into English
Justin Lhérisson · 1905
Synopsis
The book presents itself as a hearing, whose “hero” is Éliezer Pitite-Caille, a shrewd businessman and husband of Velléda, a fortune-teller who reads cards. His political ambitions lead the narrative among tradespeople of reprehensible morals and mischievous politicians, whom the author portrays with humour; over the pages the Haitian politics of his time take shape, along with customs such as plaçage.
Context
The novel appeared in 1905 in the Haitian capital, from the printer Auguste A. Héraux. It was reissued in Paris, in 1929 and in 1978 by Éditions caribéennes, then in Haiti; in 2012 Léon-François Hoffmann produced an annotated edition, together with Zoune chez sa ninnaine, for the presses of the University of Saint-Étienne. French shifts into Creole and Creole into French, mostly in the mouth of the electoral agent Boutenègre, and Marvens Jeanty sees in it a satire of the island's political and social reality.
Who it is for
A novel in French mixed with Creole, in the public domain; an introduced and annotated edition, published in France in 2012, makes it easier to read.
Prizes and reception
It is regarded as a classic of Haitian letters and as the first lodyans put into writing in the form of a novel.