Author Edwidge Danticat in a 1994 interview - - NJN/State of the Arts

Haitian author Edwidge Danticat received a MacArthur Genius award in 2009, and in 2007 won the National Book Critics Circle Award for "Brother, I'm Dying." In 1994, her first novel, "Breath, Eyes, Memory" had just been published, and was soon to be made famous as an early Oprah book club selection. Danticat appeared on State of the Arts to talk about her book and the series of documentaries about Haiti that she was making with Jonathan Demme. She was 25 at the time, and just finding her public role as an artist and a representative of the country and culture of Haiti. Here she is in that interview with Amber Edwards, then host of State of the Arts.

Watch more stories from State of the Arts, listen to podcasts and more on our website: http://www.njn.net/artsculture/starts/

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[kilima83]

I am convinced that this book introduced me to Haitian women’s literature...one of my fav.

[calliope4444]

amazing authoress

[cmuratf73]

She was sexy and beautiful and still is....

[marahlia]

I remember those stories fairy tales when I was a little girls. I used to be amused by them. In Haiti back in those days, there were no TVs, no movie theaters; so at night kids would gather around grown up who would tell us stories about witches and moster. I used to picture those stories in my mind. It was nice.

[kathaiti]

Oh, look at young Edwidge! I have all her books and hopes she comes out with a new one this year!