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Rosa the Alligator (Un alligator nommé Rosa, 2007) is a powerful exploration of the limits of truth, reconciliation, and justice for Haiti. Set in France, it focuses on two child victims of the Duvalier regime as they confront their traumatic history and their torturer, Rosa, a character based on the woman who led Papa Doc’s paramilitary death squads. The novel draws on the harrowing testimony of survivors but derives its force from Agnant’s ethical framework: she asks questions not only about the conflicting goals of justice, truth and reconciliation, but also about how one lives with the knowledge of crimes against humanity. Agnant’s characters face choices with implications far beyond the specifics of Haiti: What defines our humanity? Is justice possible without atonement? What if perpetrators refuse to acknowledge their guilt? Whose voices must be heard? What would you sacrifice in the name of justice? This timely translation makes Agnant’s novel, the first to really seek accountability for the atrocities committed in Duvalier’s name, available in English. By voicing the buried stories of victims of Duvalier’s regime – without indulging the excuses of its supporters – Rosa the Alligator contributes to the on-going memory work of those grappling still with Haiti’s history. Marie-Célie Agnant is an internationally recognized author and poet dedicated to telling the silenced stories of Haiti’s past. Her novels include The Book of Emma (2001) and A Knife in the Sky (2022).
