Hadriana in All My Dreams

Hadriana in All My Dreams
French cover of the book
AuthorRené Depestre
Original titleHadriana dans tous mes rêves
TranslatorKaiama L. Glover
LanguageFrench
GenreMarvelous realism[1]
PublisherGallimard (French edition)
Akashic Books (English edition)
Publication date
1988
Published in English
2017
Pages195 (French edition)
160 (English edition)
AwardsPrix Renaudot
ISBN978-2-07-071255-7 (original French, 1988)
ISBN 978-1-617-75533-0 (English, 2017)

Hadriana in All My Dreams (French: Hadriana dans tous mes rêves) is a 1988 novel by Haitian author René Depestre. Set in Jacmel, Haiti, and spanning a period of 40 years, the plot follows a young French woman, Hadriana Siloé, who is turned into a zombie on her wedding day. The novel explores themes of colonialism, exile, and sexuality.

The novel was published by French publishing house Gallimard in 1988; it was met with acclaim. It won the Prix Renaudot that same year, becoming the first novel by a Haitian writer to do so, won multiple other literary awards, and sold close to 200,000 copies within five years. The novel has been praised for its writing style, atmosphere, and treatment of social issues; conversely, it has been criticized for its depiction of Haiti and treatment of gender-related issues and sexuality. An English translation by Kaiama L. Glover was published by Akashic Books in 2017.

  1. ^ Balderston & Gonzalez 2004: "Hadriana dans tous mes rêves (Hadriana in My Every Dream) is written in the tradition of lo real maravilloso (marvellous realism) and was awarded the Prix Renaudot in 1988."

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