Josaphat-Robert Large

Josaphat-Robert Large (born on November 15, 1942 in Jérémie, Haïti) is a Haitian-American poet, novelist and art critic. His novel "Les terres entourées de larmes" [Shore surrounded with tears] won the prestigious Prix littéraire des Caraïbes (Caribbean literary Prize) in 2003. He was nominated for the Haitian grand Literary Prize of 2004, together with Edwidge Danticat, René Depestre, Frankétienne, Dany Laferrière and Leslie Manigat (Ex President of Haiti, the winner of the Prize). Large was also one of the finalist at the Ushant' (Ouessant in French) Literary Contest in 2002. [http://jacbayle.club.fr/livres/Nouveau/Large.html] . He writes in both French and Haitian Creole. Josaphat-Robert Large is a member of " La Société des Gens de Lettres de France" (Society of French intellectuals), of the "Association des Écrivains de langue française" (Association of writers of french origin) and of the PEN Club America.

Exile

Josaphat-Robert Large left Haiti at the end of 1963,after being arrested during a student strike against the regime of Papa Doc Duvalier. In New York, he studied English at Columbia University and photography at New York institute of Photography. He is a founding member of La Troupe de Théâtre Kouidor (Theatre group Kouidor) and frequently writes for Haitian Newspapers such as Haiti Progres, Haïti-en- Marche, le Nouvelliste (Haiti) and Lire Haiti.

Selected Works

*"Nerfs du vent" - Compilation of Poems, Paris, 1975
*"Chute de mots" - Compilation of Poems, Paris, 1989
*"Les sentiers de l'enfer" - Novel, Paris, 1990
*"Pè Sèt" ! - Compilation of Poems Written in Creole, Miami, 1994, reed. 1996
*"Les récoltes de la folie" - Novel, Paris, 1996
*"Les terres entourées de larmes" - Novel, Paris, 2002
*"Keep On Keepin'On", English translation of "Pè Sèt" ! by Jack Hirschman, iUniverse, 2006
*"Rete! Kote Lamèsi" - Novel written in Haitian Creole, Port-au-Prince, 2008.
*"Partir sur un coursier de nuages" - Novel, Paris, 2008.

Compact Discs

*"Eko Dlo" [LaGrandans debòde] - Poems in Creole with background music by Haitian pianist Eddy Prophète, Montréal, 2006
*"5 Années de Textes et de Chansons des Vendredis littéraires", Poems in French and in Creole by Frankétienne, Lyonel Trouillot, Claude Pierre and Josaphat-Robert Large, August 2000.

Play

*La voix du Bisaïeul - Play in French (Stage Director Max Kénol), New York July 1998

Awards

*Prix littéraire des Caraïbes 2003 [Caribbean literary Prize] given by L'Association des Ecrivains de langue française (The Association of French writers)
*Finaliste Concours Ouessant, 2002 (Finalist Ushant literary contest, in August 2002).
*Nominated for Haitian Grand Literary Prize in 2004, at the Miami Book Fair International of 2004.

External links

*Official Site: with breath taking photos of a few cities in Haiti [http://www.josaphat-robert-large.com]
*Author file at île en île (in French): [http://www.lehman.cuny.edu/ile.en.ile/paroles/large.html]
with biography, bibliography, links and audio recording
*Poems by Josaphat-Robert Large and Félix Morisseau-Leroy translated into English, chosen by Mute Magazine of London to illustrate articles of Volume 2 #3 describing slums in places like Haiti and Brazil. Mute, volume 2 #3, August 2006. [http://www.metamute.org/en/Keep-On-Keepin-On/]
*On a Publishers' Website in France : [http://www.editions-harmattan.fr/index.asp?navig=auteurs&obj=artiste&no=1722 l'Harmattan]

Sources

*"Open Gate", An anthology of Haitian Creole Poetry, by Paul Laraque and Jack Hirschman, Curbstone Press, Willimantic, CT, 2001.
*"Anthologie de la poésie haïtienne", [A Century of Haitian poets] , by Rodney Saint-Eloi and Lyonel Trouillot, Montréal, 2003
*"Figures d'Haïti", [35 Poets for our time] , by Jacques Rancourt,Paris, 2005
*"Who is Who In Haitian Diaspora", Féquière Vilsaint & Maude Heurtelou, EducaVision, Coconut Creek, 2008