Since gaining independence, almost 210 years ago, Haitian society has experienced several literary movements. Haiti has produced many brilliant intellectuals.

Schools of thought follow one another, theoretical currents succeed one another, the Haitian intelligentsia remains the same. Even if sometimes, one senses a lack of public involvement from certain contemporary writers.

Awards, distinctions, rewards, nominations—Haitian men and women of letters have often demonstrated elegant thought.

From Joseph Anténor Firmin to Dany Laferrière, ranking the 10 greatest Haitian authors is no easy feat. God only knows how many eminent intellectuals this country has produced.

Scientific rigor, rationality, subjectivity—no matter what methods are used, they will always provoke conflicting reactions. This is obvious. Especially when it comes to taste or preference.

In fact, even if it is partly a question of combined data, to give a more or less objective appearance to my work, I have developed three selection criteria which are as follows:

1- Personality of the author.

2- Originality of his works.

3- Social or political involvement.

And here, madam, sir, is my ranking of the 10 greatest Haitian authors:

1-   Joseph Anténor Firmin (1850-1911)

Politician and writer Joseph Anténor Firmin remains one of the greatest Haitian scholars of all time. He dedicated his entire life to combating inequality. And to better understand his anti-racial struggle, you must read his masterpiece, On the Equality of the Human Races, published in 1855. A title that, during the 19th ^century , had a great impact on national and international opinion.

This work is a scientific response to Arthur de Gobineau, who shortly before published an equally monumental work, Essay on the Inequality of the Human Races . With a racist air, this son of the French nobility attempts to establish the differences separating the human races.

In all his writings, Firmin always demonstrated palpable erudition.

2-   Louis Joseph Janvier (1855-1991)

A member of the Paris Anthropological Society, Louis Joseph Janvier was a prolific writer. He always used his intellectual powers to vehemently oppose negative ideas about his country.

In 1883, in The Republic of Haiti and its Visitors ,he attacked those who likened Haiti to an "island of savagery" (to use the words of Jacques-Stephen Alexis in  The Space of a Blink ).

3-   Justin Lhérisson (1873-1907)

During his 34 years of life, Justin Lhérisson still had time to assert the meaning of his concentrated and sublimated critiques. Poet, journalist, he is the author of La Dessalinienne, the national anthem of Haiti.

To effectively sell his intellectual potential, Justin Lhérisson often uses parables and understatement. He is best known for introducing "lodyans" (audiences) into national literature. Lhérisson's audience is about telling Haitian stories in Haitian terms. He drew inspiration from this in his two major works (two audiences):  La Famille des Pitite-Caille (1905) and Zoune chez sa ninnaine (1906).

4-   Jean-Price Mars (1876 – 1969)

A doctor, ethnographer, diplomat, and teacher, this native of Grande-Rivière du Nord (Haiti) is considered the leading Haitian thinker of the 20th century. A graduate of the Sorbonne and a pioneer of Negritude , Mars studies the historical and folkloric foundations of Haitian culture in his major work  Ainsi parla l'oncle  (1928) .

In 1959, the French Academy awarded him a special prize recognizing his entire body of work.

5 –   Jacques Roumain (1907-1944)

Founder of the Haitian Communist Party, this skilled observer ranks among the most widely read and best-known Haitian writers . His masterpiece, the novel Governors of the Dew, has been translated into 17 languages .

Novelist, poet, anthropologist, journalist, the founder of the Bureau of Ethnology in Haiti dedicated his life to fighting for the freedom and dignity of his people.

6-   Félix Morisseau-Leroy (1912-1998)

A bilingual author (French-Creole), he occupies a prominent place in the Haitian literary corpus. He is one of the most important promoters of the Creole language. His collection  Dyakout I , published in 1953, constitutes the founding work of the new Creole literature. He undertook the translation of a series of classic works in order to demonstrate the richness of Creole: Antigone by Sophocles, 1953, Wa Kreyon, 1953.

7-   Jacques Stéphen Alexis (1922-1961)

Jacques S. Alexis, a legendary writer of Haitian literature, whose reputation has transcended time and borders. The author has an imagination that revels in the marvelous, confusing dream and reality. His first novel,  Compère Général Soleil  (1955), was an immediate success.

A doctor and writer, the author of Romanceros aux Etoiles (1960) is also popular for his political positions against the dictatorship, as well as for his new definition of a truly Creole magical realism. 

8-   René Depestre (1926 to today)

A revolutionary at heart, a friend of Pablo Neruda and Che Guevara, Depestre spent his entire life fighting dictatorship, not only in Haiti, but in other countries in the region. He was one of the leaders of the revolutionary student movement of January 1946, which succeeded in overthrowing President Élie Lescot.

His most famous collection of poetry is undoubtedly  A Rainbow for the Christian West (1967), which combines politics, eroticism, and voodoo, themes that run throughout his work.  Depestre had the talent to always surprise his readers with the musicality of his words and his figurative poetry.

His works have earned him several distinctions, including the Prix Goncourt de la Nouvelle in 1982.

9-  Frankétienne (1936 2025)

Poet, playwright, novelist, actor and painter, Frankétienne is a complete artist. In 1968, he founded "La Spirale" with René Philoctète and Jean-Claude Fignolé, which advocates total art by mixing the genres of fiction, theater and poetry (Spiralism).

Frank is recognized for the power of his words, the invention of worlds. It's his trademark, in fact. Each of his works is a collection of knowledge in contemporary Haitian history. His work now extends beyond Haitian borders and is the subject of numerous academic studies. The author of " Melovi  " has just been included in the 2014 edition of the Petit Larousse. 

10 –  Dany Laferrière (1953-present)

A writer who always knew how to capture readers' attention with the magic of his well-balanced words. His extraordinary intelligence.

Her first novel,  How to Make Love to a Black Man Without Getting Tired (1985 ) , was a huge international success. And since then, Dany has continued to demonstrate her literary potential. Published in France by Grasset, Dany Laferrière's books have been translated into a dozen languages, including Korean and Polish.

Today, Dany is a remarkable figure, not only in Haitian and Quebec literature, but also worldwide. He has received no shortage of awards, distinctions, and prizes. After appearing in Larousse in 2012, he was included in the prestigious Petit Robert in 2013. A new recognition for this author of significant simplicity.

Now, you who know a little about Haitian literature, who read Haitian authors, which name do you think was missing from this ranking?