Overview
The deaths of unarmed Black male citizens at the hands of police from Eric Garner in New York City in 2015 to George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020 provide the inspiration behind Louis-Philippe Dalembert's latest novel, a retelling of events leading up to and after these tragedies. In this moving tribute, the fictionalized main character Emmett and victim of police violence is seen through the eyes of several individuals who were all touched by his life: the Pakistani shopkeeper who dialed 911; Emmett’s former girlfriend; a teacher; a neighborhood friend, and his college football coach all recall Emmett and describe how his love and generous spirit touched their lives. The novel then takes a wider point of view in the second half to focus on the march and memorial service with a resounding and spiritual message of peace. This is a powerful testament to the ongoing struggles for justice, and a moving and hopeful tribute to the many victims of racist violence.
Author Bio
Louis-Philippe Dalembert (born December 8, 1962 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti) is a Haitian poet and novelist, who writes in both French and Haitian creole. His works have been translated into several languages. He now divides his home between Berlin, Paris and Port-au-Prince. He has received several prizes and awards for his work, among them, the Grand Priz de poésie de la Ville D'Angers for his poetry collection, Et le soleil se souvient, a residency at the Villa Medicis in Rome, and the Prix RFO du livre for his novel, L'Autre Face de la Mer. His novel THE MEDITERRANEAN WALL was the French Voices Grand Prize Winner in 2021 for excellence in translation.Born in Indonesia (1936), raised in The Netherlands, and residing in the USA since the age of 22, Marjolijn de Jager earned a PhD. in Romance Languages and Literatures from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1975. She translates from both the Dutch and the French. Francophone African literature, the women’s voices in particular, have a special place in her heart. Among her honors are an NEA grant, two NEH grants and, in 2011, the annually awarded ALA Distinguished Member Award received from the African Literature Association for scholarship, teaching, and translations of African Literature. She was the Grand Prize winner in 2021 of the French Voices Award from Excellence in translation for THE MEDITERRANEAN WALL by Louis-Philippe Dalembert.For further information please see http://mdejager.com
