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The Death of Paul Laraque / Lanmò Pòl Larak
Teledjol.com - Wednesday March 14, 2007
The great revolutionary poet Paul Laraque died on March 8, 2007, at 5 AM, in New York City; he was 86 years old (May 21, 1920-March 8, 2007).
He is survived by his children Max, Serge and Danielle, and his brother Franck Laraque, and many grand-children and nephews and nieces. One of the greatest poets of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, Paul Laraque united a beautiful and surrealist lyric poetry with political consciousness to "changer la vie." For him poetry could be a "fighting weapon" on behalf of people struggling against class exploitation, foreign domination and cultural alienation, in the tradition of Jacques Roumain, Massillon Coicou, Louis Aragon, Nicolás Guillén, and Pablo Neruda. He left Haiti in 1961 for New York City, USA, where his wife Marcelle rejoined him the following year. Paul was deprived of his Haitian citizenship from 1964 to 1986 for opposition to the Duvaliers' dictatorship. He received Cuba's Casa de las Americas Poetry Prize in 1979 for his work Les armes quotidiennes / Poésie quotidienne ("Everyday Weapons / Everyday Poetry"). His published works include, among others, Ce qui demeure ("What has remained"), Festibal ("Slingshot" ), Camourade, Sòlda mawon ("Maroon Soldier") and the anthology Oeuvres incomplètes ("Incomplete Works"). He was co-editor (with Jack Hirschman) and one of the authors of Open Gate: An Anthology of Haitian Creole Poetry, Curbstone Press, 2001. With his brother Franck, he recently published the critical memoir, Haiti: entre la lutte et l'espoir ("Haiti: Between Struggle and Hope"), Edition Cidihca, 2004. Besides his impressive and skillful handling of the French and Creole languages in his poems, we will retain from Paul Laraque an indomitable commitment to social justice and political liberation in ways that transcend specific historical conjunctures. He experienced political heartbreaks, including the dismantling of the Soviet Union and the unraveling of the Haitian popular movement, following the hopeful winds of 1986 and 1991, but he never showed signs of discouragement or despair. Until the very end he remained a champion of Haiti's independence and the cause of political equality and human liberation in general. Until the very end he believed that Haiti will one day be beautiful and nurturing to its people again, liberated from foreign domination, and its people free from class exploitation. He will be missed. -Tontongi (Editor of Tanbou) The trilingual politico-literary journal Tanbou.com is preparing a special issue on Paul Laraque; please send submissions (poems, reviews, studies, photos, personal reflections, etc.) to : editors@tanbou. com (www.tanbou.com) INFORMATION ON SERVICES / ENFÒMASYON SOU ANTÈMAN : Paul Laraque (September 21, 1920-March 8, 2007) Husband of Marcelle Laraque Father of Max, Serge and Danielle Laraque Services on March 15, 2007 Viewing 3-6pm Services 6-8pm Directions Below March 16, 2007 Funeral at 280-284 Ferncliff Cemetery Secor Road, Hartsdale, NY In lieu of flowers please send donations to: Lambi Fund of Haiti PO Box 18955 Washington DC 20036 www.lambifund. org (See Directions in the attachment) Gran powèt revolisyonè ayisyen an Pòl Larak desede jounen 8 mas 2007 la, a 5 kè dimaten, nan Vil Nouyòk, alaswit yon long maladi; misye te gen 86 zan (21 me 1920-8 mas 2007). Misye siviv pa twa pitit li Max, Sèj e Danyèl, e frè li Frank Larak, e plizyè pitit-pitit e neve ak nyès. Pòl se youn nan pi gran powèt ventyèm e venteinyèm syèk la ki mare yon pwezi ki alafwa lirik, bèl e sireyalis avèk yon konsyans politik pou "chanje lavi". Pou li pwezi ka tounen yon "zam de konba" bò kote pèp kap goumen yo kont esplwatasyon de klas, dominasyon etranje e alyenasyon kiltirèl, nan tradisyon Jacques Roumain, Massillon Coicou, Louis Aragon, Nicolas Guillén, Pablo Neruda, elatriye. Pòl Larak te youn nan gwoup powèt ki te akeyi Alisa e André Breton nan aewopò Pòtoprens lan pandan vizit istorik chèf sireyalis la ann Ayiti an desanm 1945. Misye kite Ayiti pou Nouyòk an 1961, Ozetazini, kote madanm li Masèl te vin jwenn li ane apre a. Lè li te jèn ti ofisye nan Lame Dayiti nan ane senkant yo, li pibliye powèm sibvèsif anba ti non Jacques Lenoir. Gouvènman Papa Dòk la te wetire nasyonalite li de 1964 rive 1986 akoz de opozisyon li kont diktati a. Li resevwa Pri Casa de las Americas an 1979 a Kiba pou liv li Les armes quotidiennes / Poésie quotidienne, e li se otè, pami lòt, de Ce qui demeure, Fistibal, Oeuvres incomplètes, Camourade, Sòlda mawon / Soldat marron. Pòl se tou youn nan ko-editè (avèk Jack Hirschman) de liv bileng Open Gate : An Anthology of Haitian Creole Poetry ("Louvri baryè: yon antoloji de pwezi kreyòl" - Curbstone Press 2001). Li pibliye an 2003 La lutte et l'espoir (Edisyon Cidihca), yon memwa kritik li ko-ekri ansanm ak frè li Frank Larak. Anplis de trè bèl izaj li fè de lang kreyòl ak lang franse a, de lang misye matonyen avèk yonkout plim rafine, imaj nou retni de Pòl Larak se imaj yon nonm ki inebranlab nan angajman li pou jistis sosyal ak liberasyon politik mas ayisyen yo, nan yon manyè ki transande konjonkti istorik espesifik yo. Misye te esperyanse anpil desepsyon politik kè mare, san retire abolisyon Linyon Sovyetik e demantibilasyon mouvman popilè ayisyen an aprè van lespwa ki te soufle an 1986 e 1991 yo, men li pa janm montre ankenn siy dekourajman, ni dezesperans. Misye rete jiskalafen yon chanpyon defansè endepandans Ayiti ansanm ak koz pou egalite politik e liberasyon moun an jeneral. Misye rete jiskalafen yon nonm ki gen konfyans Ayiti ap yon jou vin bèl e nourisan ankò pou pitit li yo, libere de dominasyon etranje, e pèp la libere de esplwatasyon de klas. Misye ap manke nou anpil. -Tontongi (editè anchèf jounal Tanbou) Tanbou.com, yon jounal literè e politik an twa lang, ap prepare yon nimewo espesyal sou Pòl Larak; silvouplè voye kontribisyon w (powèm, revi, etid, foto, refleksyon pèsonèl, elatriye) sou : editors@tanbou. com www.tanbou.com) INFORMATION ON SERVICES / ENFÒMASYON SOU ANTÈMAN : Paul Laraque (September 21, 1920-March 8, 2007) Husband of Marcelle Laraque Father of Max, Serge and Danielle Laraque Services on March 15, 2007 Viewing 3-6pm Services 6-8pm Directions Below March 16, 2007 Funeral at 280-284 Ferncliff Cemetery Secor Road, Hartsdale, NY In lieu of flowers please send donations to: Lambi Fund of Haiti PO Box 18955 Washington DC 20036 www.lambifund. org
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