……and the Dogs Were Silent/……Et Les Chiens Se Taisaient 9781478030645 Paperback

Available to readers for the first time, Aim Csaires three-act drama . . . . . .And the Dogs Were Silent-written during the Vichy regime in Martinique in 1943 and lost until 2008-dramatizes the Haitian Revolution and the rise and fall of Toussaint Louverture as its heroic leader. This bilingual English and French edition stands apart from Csaires more widely known 1946 closet drama. Following the slave revolts that sparked the revolution, Louverture arrives as both prophet and poet, general and visionary. With striking dramatic technique, Csaire retells the revolution in poignant encounters between rebels and colonial forces, guided by a prophetic chorus and Louvertures steady ethical and political vision. In the last act, we reach the heros betrayal, his imprisonment, and his last stand against the lures of compromise. Csaires masterwork is a strikingly beautiful and brutal indictment of colonial cruelty and an unabashed celebration of Black rebellion and victory.