Yanick Lahens

Yanick Lahens is a Haitian novelist and short story writer born in 1953 in Port-au-Prince. She is one of the most celebrated writers in Haitian literature, known for fiction that gives voice to ordinary Haitian people — particularly women — with great tenderness and moral attentiveness. She has been a leading cultural figure in Haiti for decades and was involved in the cultural response to the 2010 earthquake. Lahens is the author of several novels and story collections, including Dans la maison du père (2000) and Failles (2010), a memoir of the earthquake. Her work explores the intersection of the personal and the political in Haitian life, set against the backdrop of poverty, political instability, and natural disaster. Bain de lune (Moonbath), her 2014 Prix Femina winner, is a multigenerational saga set in a Haitian fishing village, following a family across decades of violence and suffering. The novel draws on Haitian oral tradition and the rhythms of Haitian Creole speech to create a powerful account of a people's resilience. Lahens is recognized internationally as one of the most important voices in Caribbean Francophone literature. Bain de lune was translated into English by Emily Gogolak and published to wide acclaim.