Haitian Author Yanick Lahens Wins French Academy’s Grand Prize for Novel
Paris - Haitian novelist Yanick Lahens has been awarded the prestigious Grand Prize for the novel of the French Academy, recognizing her body of work and, most recently, her novel night Passengers. The announcement was made today, cementing Lahens’s position as a leading voice in contemporary French-language literature.
Born in Port-au-Prince in 1953,Lahens has authored numerous novels,essays,and short stories exploring themes of Haitian history,female resilience,and the enduring legacy of slavery.She previously won the Femina Prize in 2014 for Moon Bath (ed. Sabine Wespieser). Night Passengers,the work cited alongside her overall contribution,is described by her publisher as a “tribute of hope and resistance to the lineage of women” from whom she descends. The novel centers on the stories of women like Elizabeth, born in 1818 in New Orleans, and Regina, born in Haiti decades later, and recounts the harrowing experiences of those transported on slave ships – the “night passengers.”
The French Academy’s grand Prize, one of France’s highest literary honors, carries a monetary award and significant prestige. It acknowledges not only the quality of a single work but also the author’s entire literary career. The prize also recognizes Sabine Wespieser Editions, the small independent publishing house that has championed Lahens’s work since 2002, and which has previously garnered several literary accolades.
Lahens’s work is characterized by a commitment to portraying the complexities of Haitian life and identity,refusing to remain detached from the realities of her homeland. As she stated in a 2019 interview with Le Monde, “In Haiti, you cannot be a writer in your ivory tower.” The award is expected to further elevate her profile internationally and bring greater attention to Haitian literature.
