"A worthy sequel that skillfully uses a popular genre to help us better understand an often frustratingly complex and indecipherable society." --Miami Herald
"Presents an excellent array of writers, primarily Haitian, whose graphic descriptions portray a country ravaged by corruption, crime, and mystery. . . . This selection of Haitian classics is a must read for everyone." --The Caribbean Writer
Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book.
Featuring stories by: Danielle Legros Georges, Jacques Roumain, Ida Faubert, Jacques-Stephen Alexis, Jan J. Dominique, Paulette Poujol Oriol, Lyonel Trouillot, Emmelie Prophte, Ben Fountain, Dany Laferrire, Georges Anglade, Edwidge Danticat, Michle Voltaire Marcelin, zili Dant, Marie-Hlne Laforest, Nick Stone, Marilne Phipps-Kettlewell, Myriam J.A. Chancy, and Roxane Gay.
From the introduction by Edwidge Danticat:
"How often are you asked to put together an amazing literary party? In my case, a mind-blowing two times. The lit party of my dreams has been Haiti Noir, and lo and behold, I get asked to do it again . . . After the first Haiti Noir was published, people kept asking if I wasn't contributing to a negative image of the country by editing a book filled with so many "dark" stories about Haiti. My answer was, and remains, that showing the brilliance of our writers and their ability to address Haiti's difficulties through their art can only contribute to a more nuanced and complex presentation of Haitian lives. After all, the writers here are not Haiti virgins, to paraphrase from Heading South, Dany Laferrire's story, included here, of sex tourism gone wrong. They are all old hats, either by blood or their deep love for Haiti . . . This is not just a party, folks, but also a costume party, a noir party. The author of each story, poem, or novel excerpt has shed his or her skin and has sunk into the deepest and most revealing places of the human heart."