Jason Herbeck, chair and professor of French in the Department of World Languages, had an interview with Haitian author Évelyne Trouillot published in the latest issue of the Journal of Haitian Studies (31.1, pp. 200-223) as part of the “Honoring Haiti’s Luminaries” series. The interview was conducted in April 2024, as part of Herbeck’s upper-division course, “The Francophone World Today: Haiti.” After having read numerous texts by Trouillot, students Anne Flickinger, Megan Iliuc, Sophia Jaros, Ethan Johnson, Katy Lee and Laura Nickel spent over two hours talking with the author via Zoom, asking her prepared questions about Haiti and her works.
In the publication, titled, “‘Aller aussi loin que possible’ : Entretien avec Évelyne Trouillot” (“‘Go as Far as Possible’: An Interview with Évelyne Trouillot”), the author talks about her native country’s history and current affairs, often in relation to the role of literature, her own works of fiction, her experiences and personal anecdotes about Haitian society. In so doing, Trouillot delves into important issues involving Haiti today, such as class divisions, social movements, immigration, international relations, the influence of gangs and the implications of past and present foreign interventions.
Born in Port-au-Prince in 1954, Évelyne Trouillot spent her childhood and youth in the city, which played an important role in shaping her identity and vision of the world. After earning her high school degree, she immigrated to the United States with her mother, where she continued her studies at the university level, first in New York, then in Florida. Upon her return to Haiti in 1987, Trouillot joined the Ministry of National Education, where a teacher training position gave her the opportunity to travel across the country and to discover regions she hadn’t visited during her childhood. This exploration, which she has since continued outside of professional obligations, continues to enrich Trouillot’s perception of Haiti, allowing her to develop a broader, more nuanced vision of her homeland, even if she remains profoundly attached to the capital.
In the interview, Trouillot shares her experiences, her journey and reflections on her body of works as well as on Haiti’s history and alarming state of affairs, revealing the many facets of a vibrant, complex country that continues to search for justice and peace.