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Description

Zoune at Her Nann-enn’s House by Justin Lhérisson is a 1906 Haitian novella that examines the social and domestic trials young women face as they come of age. Translated by Susan Kalter, this first-ever English-language edition of the book also provides a rich afterword that critically situates Lhérisson’s story in social and political Haitian contexts and establishes how those particular contexts connect to larger social issues in our present moment. The plot follows a quietly resilient young girl, Zoune, sent from the countryside to live with her godmother in Port-au-Prince. Removed from her biological family, Zoune grows up under the strict care of her Nann-enn, Mme Boyote, who instructs her in labor, faith, obedience, and the customs of urban Haitian life. When Mme Boyote invites Colonel Cadet Jacques into the household in hopes of securing greater social stability, Zoune’s fragile sense of safety is disrupted, and new interpersonal tensions emerge. Rooted in the rhythms of everyday life, Lhérisson’s story offers an intimate portrayal of girlhood shaped by endurance and survival, while also serving as a subtle yet incisive critique of nineteenth-century Haitian military authority, religious influence, and social hierarchy.

ISBN

978-1-946993-04-5

Publication Date

Spring 1-31-2026

Publisher

Downstate Legacies Undiscovered Americas

City

Normal

Keywords

Haiti, Caribbean, Port-au-Prince, coming of age, women, women's studies, urban life, sociopolitical fiction

Disciplines

Fiction

Zoune at Her Nann-enn's House

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Fiction Commons

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