René Depestre

René Depestre was born in 1926 in Jacmel, Haiti, and emerged as a key figure in Haitian literature through his surrealist-influenced poetry starting with Étincelles (1945), amid political activism that led to exiles in Paris, Cuba—where he co-founded Casa de las Américas—and eventually France. He participated in Haiti's 1946 revolution, supported the Cuban Revolution before breaking with it in 1978, worked at UNESCO, and earned major awards like the Prix Renaudot for Hadriana in All My Dreams (1988) and Prix Guillaume Apollinaire for poetry. Now residing in southern France, he blends Vodou, eroticism, and marvelous realism in his works across poetry, novels, and essays.