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Crown Journeys Series
After the Dance: A Walk Through Carnival in Jacmel, Haiti
In After the Dance, one of Haiti’s most renowned daughters returns to her homeland, taking readers on a stunning, exquisitely rendered journey beyond the hedonistic surface of Carnival and into its deep heart.
Edwidge Danticat had long been scared off from Carnival by a loved one, who spun tales of people dislocating hips from gyrating with too much abandon, losing their voices from singing too loudly, going deaf from the clamor of immense speakers, and being punched, stabbed, pummeled, or fondled by other lustful revelers. Now an adult, she resolves to return and exorcise her Carnival demons. She spends the week before Carnival in the area around Jacmel, exploring the rolling hills and lush forests and meeting the people who live and die in them. During her journeys she traces the heroic and tragic history of the island, from French colonists and Haitian revolutionaries to American invaders and home-grown dictators. Danticat also introduces us to many of the performers, artists, and organizers who re-create the myths and legends that bring the Carnival festivities to life. When Carnival arrives, we watch as she goes from observer to participant and finally loses herself in the overwhelming embrace of the crowd.
Part travelogue, part memoir, this is a lyrical narrative of a writer rediscovering her country along with a part of herself. It’s also a wonderful introduction to Haiti’s southern coast and to the true beauty of Carnival.
Edwidge Danticat had long been scared off from Carnival by a loved one, who spun tales of people dislocating hips from gyrating with too much abandon, losing their voices from singing too loudly, going deaf from the clamor of immense speakers, and being punched, stabbed, pummeled, or fondled by other lustful revelers. Now an adult, she resolves to return and exorcise her Carnival demons. She spends the week before Carnival in the area around Jacmel, exploring the rolling hills and lush forests and meeting the people who live and die in them. During her journeys she traces the heroic and tragic history of the island, from French colonists and Haitian revolutionaries to American invaders and home-grown dictators. Danticat also introduces us to many of the performers, artists, and organizers who re-create the myths and legends that bring the Carnival festivities to life. When Carnival arrives, we watch as she goes from observer to participant and finally loses herself in the overwhelming embrace of the crowd.
Part travelogue, part memoir, this is a lyrical narrative of a writer rediscovering her country along with a part of herself. It’s also a wonderful introduction to Haiti’s southern coast and to the true beauty of Carnival.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published August 6, 2002
19 people are currently reading
690 people want to read
About the author
Edwidge Danticat
60 books2,781 followersEdwidge Danticat is a Haitian American novelist and short story writer. Her first novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory, was published in 1994 and went on to become an Oprah's Book Club selection. Danticat has since written or edited several books and has been the recipient of many awards and honors. Her work has dealt with themes of national identity, mother-daughter relationships, and diasporic politics. In 2023, she was named the Wun Tsun Tam Mellon Professor of the Humanities in the department of African American and African Diaspora Studies at Columbia University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
May 19, 2019
As a child growing up in Porte-au-Prince, Danticat was forbidden from participating in Carnival by her Evangelical family. As an adult, she travels to Jacmel, the epicenter of Haitian Carnival to experience this cultural phenomenon. This travel memoir recounts her experience, the people she met and the places she visited, while putting Carnival into the cultural context of Haiti’s history. 2.5 stars
January 8, 2023
Three and a half stars, rounding up to four. I often think of travel books as something written by a person who is visiting another country than their own, but that's not the case here. Danticat, who never got to experience the Jacmel carnival as a child (her uncle would take his family away on religious retreat every year to avoid it) goes home to see exactly what she was missing out on all for all those years. Quite a lot, as it turns out!
There's a lot of background detail here concerning the different types of floats, and the selection of the carnival queens, and all the other organisational details that are missed if you just turn up on the day. It's genuinely interesting stuff, though it does feel as if this organisational and historical context takes up 95% of the book. I would have liked for there to have been a longer account of Danticat's actual experiences during the carnival, because I've never been to one either! More time there, even if only by proxy, would have rounded this out a little more, I think.
There's a lot of background detail here concerning the different types of floats, and the selection of the carnival queens, and all the other organisational details that are missed if you just turn up on the day. It's genuinely interesting stuff, though it does feel as if this organisational and historical context takes up 95% of the book. I would have liked for there to have been a longer account of Danticat's actual experiences during the carnival, because I've never been to one either! More time there, even if only by proxy, would have rounded this out a little more, I think.
March 7, 2013
2010’s stellar historical memoir, Create Dangerously, reinvigorated my interest in Haitian born author Edwidge Danticat. Her debut novel Breath, Eyes, Memory set the pace for what seemed to be a promising career, and then Danticat’s trajectory suddenly took a sharp dip thanks to a few uninspiring releases. Somehow After the Dance slipped through the cracks for me. It only recently appeared on my radar, despite its 2002 release.
This non-fiction work has been categorized as a travelogue, as it focuses on an annual Haitian carnival held in the Jacmel region of the island. Danticat migrated to New York City at the age of twelve to live with her parents, leaving behind an uncle she’d lived with up until that point. That said uncle forbid her from attending Carnival, frightening her with tales of the harm that would come to her if she foolishly ventured into what he perceived as nefarious festivities. Now in her thirties, Danticat returns to Haiti on vacation, eager to experience what she’d been denied as a child.
As a prelude to what would come in 2010, After the Dance can also be viewed as a historical memoir in ways, due to its meticulous examination of the political, cultural and artistic past of Haiti. After now reading two fictional and two non-fiction works by Danticat, I can confidently say that non-fiction writing is her strong suit.
This non-fiction work has been categorized as a travelogue, as it focuses on an annual Haitian carnival held in the Jacmel region of the island. Danticat migrated to New York City at the age of twelve to live with her parents, leaving behind an uncle she’d lived with up until that point. That said uncle forbid her from attending Carnival, frightening her with tales of the harm that would come to her if she foolishly ventured into what he perceived as nefarious festivities. Now in her thirties, Danticat returns to Haiti on vacation, eager to experience what she’d been denied as a child.
As a prelude to what would come in 2010, After the Dance can also be viewed as a historical memoir in ways, due to its meticulous examination of the political, cultural and artistic past of Haiti. After now reading two fictional and two non-fiction works by Danticat, I can confidently say that non-fiction writing is her strong suit.
July 16, 2017
I read this book in one day. True to form, Danticat presents the wonder of Carnival in a most delightful and mesmerizing way. Through her words, I see Haiti. I see its grandeur as well as its flaws. I experience the island as both a child and as an adult. I just love that she writes so beautifully, like a painter standing before a blank canvas; the reader.
February 20, 2024
I am still baffled that this was completely underwhelming for me. I am not sure what happened, I had read Danticat in an essay collection before and distinctly wanted to read more from her because I liked her style and what she had to say. But this didn't hit it for me. Maybe because it was older and the essay I read was a lot more recent?
These 180 pages went by like pudding through a strainer. I wanted to feel the atmosphere of the carnival but it takes us 3/4 of the book to even get there which is weird for a book title "AFTER the dance". And once the carnival is in full swing Danticat steps back, goes home and babysits for her neighbor the rest of the night? I mean, nice of her but not what I want in a book about the Haitian carnival and what it means and how it affects the people.
The personal side of this felt very surface level, then too many general facts on Haiti down to excessively quoting the very Haitian novel I was reading in tandem with this ("Hadriana in all my Dreams" and given, that's on me not this book). When I finished a chapter I almost immediately forgot what happened. Something about the writing and what the writing was about didn't stick with me in the slightest. In that sense, I think this is a weird book critique because mostly I am saying this book didn't work for me: the end. And that is more than fair, it's a personal review after all. But I wish I had something more concrete to name so others who read this review can make a decision on whether this book could be for them. But I don't think I can be of help here: despite being in very big Non-Fiction mood right now, I didn't like this, I forgot most of it already.
Maybe it was a bit too underdeveloped in what it promises to be about. Maybe I like a more personal touch to my Non-Fiction writing and the insights here weren't all that deep. Maybe this kind of travel-ish/ memoir-ish writing has come a strong way since 2002 and I prefer how more modern works go about it? I honestly don't know, I just wish this had gone differently for me. Bit of a harsh, pointless review which I hope doesn't stop anyone from reading it.
These 180 pages went by like pudding through a strainer. I wanted to feel the atmosphere of the carnival but it takes us 3/4 of the book to even get there which is weird for a book title "AFTER the dance". And once the carnival is in full swing Danticat steps back, goes home and babysits for her neighbor the rest of the night? I mean, nice of her but not what I want in a book about the Haitian carnival and what it means and how it affects the people.
The personal side of this felt very surface level, then too many general facts on Haiti down to excessively quoting the very Haitian novel I was reading in tandem with this ("Hadriana in all my Dreams" and given, that's on me not this book). When I finished a chapter I almost immediately forgot what happened. Something about the writing and what the writing was about didn't stick with me in the slightest. In that sense, I think this is a weird book critique because mostly I am saying this book didn't work for me: the end. And that is more than fair, it's a personal review after all. But I wish I had something more concrete to name so others who read this review can make a decision on whether this book could be for them. But I don't think I can be of help here: despite being in very big Non-Fiction mood right now, I didn't like this, I forgot most of it already.
Maybe it was a bit too underdeveloped in what it promises to be about. Maybe I like a more personal touch to my Non-Fiction writing and the insights here weren't all that deep. Maybe this kind of travel-ish/ memoir-ish writing has come a strong way since 2002 and I prefer how more modern works go about it? I honestly don't know, I just wish this had gone differently for me. Bit of a harsh, pointless review which I hope doesn't stop anyone from reading it.
September 29, 2021
first book i read in a few weeks!! danticat is a beautiful writer & this book made me feel like i was back in Haiti experiencing carnival for myself. there’s so much history painted into this recounting of her visit during Carnival ,, lovely lovely book
March 17, 2022
This book was required reading for school, but I found that I still enjoyed it. Danticat's storytelling helps readers to see the beauty and resilience of Haiti. I also found the book to be quite historically informative, which I liked.
January 3, 2009
Carnival is one of the defining events of the Haitian year, and nowhere is it celebrated with more verve than in the seaside town of Jacmel. The Haitian-American novelist Edwidge Danticat never had the opportunity to attend carnival. Thus, as an adult, she returns to Haiti, to Jacmel, to experience what she missed in childhoood. This book is an account of Danticat's trip back. This is a travel essay, but at the same time, it's so much more. After the dance is a travel narrative, a memoir, and a history, of Haiti and of the carnival. A beautifully-written homage to the carnival, the book spins out in multiple directions, telling stories, and full of descriptive imagery. This is quite a short book, and given all of the things the book tries to do, it doesn't do any of them completely. Instead, we get snatches and tidbits of histories and memories, and the book is a pleasure to read. Danticat uses Carnival and its activities as metaphors to discuss larger events and issues in her own and Haiti's past and present. This is a book one should read to get a taste of Haiti. It's not necessarily comprehensive, but it paints a brillaint picture.
December 7, 2013
This book spoke to so many parts of my brain and I loved it very much.
Linguist- Of course I want to know 4 uses of the word lamayot. There should be an accent mark over that o.
Spirit- There were many references to artists and literary voices. Painters who fill in the gaps of history to create what's missing. The spirit of the peasants. The quote about F. Scott Fitzgerald saying there is a peasant in every novelist.
Political History- I got the sense that Carnival is so right and healing for telling the long painful story. For trying to include all of the parts. Danticat talks about the Arawak people, the enslaved people, the colonizing people all being present. She talked about children combating the Carnival spooks by saying I am not afraid of you, you are only human.
At the end, she relaxes for a moment and goes in. I want that.
Linguist- Of course I want to know 4 uses of the word lamayot. There should be an accent mark over that o.
Spirit- There were many references to artists and literary voices. Painters who fill in the gaps of history to create what's missing. The spirit of the peasants. The quote about F. Scott Fitzgerald saying there is a peasant in every novelist.
Political History- I got the sense that Carnival is so right and healing for telling the long painful story. For trying to include all of the parts. Danticat talks about the Arawak people, the enslaved people, the colonizing people all being present. She talked about children combating the Carnival spooks by saying I am not afraid of you, you are only human.
At the end, she relaxes for a moment and goes in. I want that.
May 29, 2014
Edwidge Danticat takes us back to Haiti, to Jacmel, for Carnival. But it's a new experience not just for the reader (well, this reader, anyway) but also for Danticat -- as a child in Haiti, she was kept away; Carnival has ever loomed in her imagination as tantalising, dangerous, forbidden. Now, as an adult, she's back to celebrate Carnival herself.
First, though, Danticat takes us through Jacmel. It's an eccentric tour of sorts; she relays a fair amount of history but consistently returns to the things that hold particular interest for her -- graveyards and trees and the relationship of Carnival to life and death.
Though both a recurring theme and the climax of the book, Carnival is not really the focus -- but it does represent a triumph for Danticat, and a new perspective.
First, though, Danticat takes us through Jacmel. It's an eccentric tour of sorts; she relays a fair amount of history but consistently returns to the things that hold particular interest for her -- graveyards and trees and the relationship of Carnival to life and death.
Though both a recurring theme and the climax of the book, Carnival is not really the focus -- but it does represent a triumph for Danticat, and a new perspective.
April 22, 2008
Another travelogue for a series by authors on lands they visit; this is the only one I know of written by an author visiting her own country; for this, it is an interesting read. However, its focus on carnival in Jacmel begs the question "why not Carnival in the capital, Port-au-Prince?" This a question the text refuses to answer. If readers are compelled to find out the answer beyond the text, than the exercise (both reading this book and seeking the answer to the question beyond the text) will have been worth the effort...
June 24, 2009
I learned a lot about carnival and Haitian history by reading this. I'd anticipated something a little more fiery and sweaty, as this is how carnival represents. Danticat expresses more interest in graveyards and the history of the carnival masks than in the experience of flinging herself into carnival at the height of the festivities. As she says, she still has the fears of her childhood about the dangers of the carnival crowd.
July 21, 2010
After reading The Dew Breaker, I wanted to know more about Haiti's culture and political history. The is a calmly thoughtful account of a trip back to visit Carnival. Although the book culminates with Carnival (and what fun it must be), the pleasure was in the travels and reminisces leading up to the actual party. It worked as a cultural and political primer, and makes me want to read more.
December 7, 2010
Someone else may like this book, but it was not for me. I did not finish the book because I thought it was boring. I read another book by the same author and I really enjoyed it so i thought that I would like this book also, but I couldn't really relate to the book or what the author talks about. It might be a good book for people who have Haitian heritage and like carnivals.
February 2, 2011
Edwidge Danticat takes us to the streets of Jacmel and through the wild, brightly colored, irreverent ceremony of carnival. Mixed folk lore, history, and historical analysis with personal memoir, Danticat's journey through Jacmel, before and after carnival, is delightful, and makes me long for a trip to Haiti.
January 30, 2011
I know the Edwidge Danticat is more known as a fiction writer, but I love her non-fiction so much. The prose in this book is like poetry and really takes you to Carnival. It is a very enjoyable short read.
August 8, 2015
Although Danticat is Haitian, she didn't live there for a long time before she returned for Carnival. Her perspective is unique, because she's both a native and a foreigner. Plus, the writing is beautiful and makes you feel as if you're actually experiencing Carnival right along with her.
June 18, 2016
This short book introduced me to Edwidge Danticat. I must say I must read more of this author's work.
It is a short book about seeing carnival through the eyes of the same adult who was enthralled with it as a child. The excitement is still there. And, we are caught up in it.
It is a short book about seeing carnival through the eyes of the same adult who was enthralled with it as a child. The excitement is still there. And, we are caught up in it.
Read
July 23, 2011While this is Danticat's tale of attending Carnival in Jacmel, Haiti, it is so much more. A lovely, lyrical, interesting and deep tale begin to describe this book and yet it is so much more.
March 3, 2015
I'll probably read this again.
November 3, 2015
This is one of the Crown Journeys series which I recommend in general. They're all personal and quirky, written by somebody who really loves a place. Danticat's writing about Haiti makes you see it.
October 23, 2015
An interesting read about Carnival in Jacmel Haiti
October 16, 2008
Great non-fiction account of Carnival in Haiti.
July 25, 2011
Read the French edition.
May 25, 2008
May 25, 2008
October 14, 2013
This good book about Haiti reminds me of the Carnival I spent in Rio when I was a teenager.
August 4, 2020
Book 35 of 2020: After the Dance: A Walk Through Carnival in Jacmel, Haiti by Edwidge Danticat
Edwidge Danticat emigrated to the United States at the age of 12 and had never participated in or seen the annual celebration of Carnival until 2002 when she returned to Haiti. In this book, which simultaneously serves as a memoir and historical analysis of the country, she admits that it was fear that prevented her from participating in the festivities. Aside from the fact that she suffered from agoraphopbia (fear of situations, such as crowds, that make you feel trapped), it was instilled in her by her uncle at a very young age that terrible things happen to people who attend Carnival – not to mention the fact that he deemed it unholy and sacrilegious. As an adult, she faced her fears and returned to Haiti, determined to learn the stories and embrace the history that Carnival celebrates year after year. She considered this return a “baptism by her people” and this book seems to serve as a resource to educate its readers on exactly what Carnival is, or more accurately, why it exists. Danticat also uses this book to lead us deep within the mountains of Haiti and educate us on the culturally rich history her homeland, dating back before the separation of the Spanish and French colonies, before Columbus’ arrival, to the original inhabitants, the Arawak Indians. Danticat never fails to intertwine Haitian history and traditions into her novels and short stories, but this book leads us directly into the heart of Haiti and introduces the reader to who it really is. This was a fascinating and educational read.
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Edwidge Danticat emigrated to the United States at the age of 12 and had never participated in or seen the annual celebration of Carnival until 2002 when she returned to Haiti. In this book, which simultaneously serves as a memoir and historical analysis of the country, she admits that it was fear that prevented her from participating in the festivities. Aside from the fact that she suffered from agoraphopbia (fear of situations, such as crowds, that make you feel trapped), it was instilled in her by her uncle at a very young age that terrible things happen to people who attend Carnival – not to mention the fact that he deemed it unholy and sacrilegious. As an adult, she faced her fears and returned to Haiti, determined to learn the stories and embrace the history that Carnival celebrates year after year. She considered this return a “baptism by her people” and this book seems to serve as a resource to educate its readers on exactly what Carnival is, or more accurately, why it exists. Danticat also uses this book to lead us deep within the mountains of Haiti and educate us on the culturally rich history her homeland, dating back before the separation of the Spanish and French colonies, before Columbus’ arrival, to the original inhabitants, the Arawak Indians. Danticat never fails to intertwine Haitian history and traditions into her novels and short stories, but this book leads us directly into the heart of Haiti and introduces the reader to who it really is. This was a fascinating and educational read.
.
April 9, 2018
I really appreciated Danticat's perspective as a tourist in her native country Haiti (although she has lived in the U.S. for many years). She was exploring a region (Jacmel) and event (Carnival) that she had never experienced, but she was not a complete outsider and could write about how her memories and cultural understanding impacted her travels. This was a pleasant and quick read, and simply written, but still managed to evoke the humid, colorful atmosphere. I've loved a few of Danticat's novels/novellas, so I am excited to continue reading all of her works.
November 21, 2021
This book is excellent for what it is - a short series of sketches leading up to a late 90s carnival celebration in Jacmel, Haiti. I enjoyed Danticat's prose, and Jacmel is an excellent topic to write about - although obscure, the city plays an outsized role in Haitian culture, and has been important in Caribbean history. Well done.
December 12, 2018
This book was mesmerizing; it usually takes me a while to get into a book, but not with this one. Danticat was true to her form and I felt as if I were participating in the festivities of Carnival in Haiti. This book is one you absolutely must read if you are interested in Haiti.
April 12, 2021
3.75 stars. Read for class. Loved that Danticat used carnival as a backdrop to explore Haiti's history and people. It was a powerful depiction of the beauty that flourishes in places so often neglected by the US and western Europe.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews