Fabienne Josaphat on Haiti, History, and the Power of Fiction

Photo Source: Fabienne Josaphat

By Llerraj Esuod

Storytelling as Inheritance

When novelist Fabienne Josaphat discusses storytelling, it feels more like an inheritance than an interview. “I grew up in a family of avid readers,” she says. “My grandfather nurtured me with oral storytelling, so I was constantly immersed in stories.” That immersion became her compass. By college, Josaphat knew writing was her calling. “I realized I was not just a writer, but a Haitian writer,” she explains. “Being Haitian shapes my writing. I weave my identity into my stories to spotlight the Haitian experience across the diaspora.”

Writing Through Haiti’s Wounds

Her debut novel, Dancing in the Baron’s Shadows (2016), unfolds during François “Papa Doc” Duvalier’s dictatorship, a period she calls “a collective wound.” Born in 1979, Josaphat grew up in the long shadow of that era, marked by silence, fear, whispers, and endurance. Reflecting on that legacy, she recalls, “The prison I wrote about was still there. Even after the dictatorship, its impact lingers in how people live and share political opinions.” The tension between historical fact and emotional truth gives the novel its power. “The challenge in historical fiction,” she says, “is balancing accuracy with what it felt like to live through it.”

Brotherhood, Fear, and Moral Reckoning

At its core, the story examines brotherhood, fear, and resistance — themes Josaphat threads with precision and empathy. “The book is about two brothers forced to make moral choices under pressure,” she explains. “It’s about asking, ‘Do I abandon him or help?’ That’s the human experience: making meaning of what happens to us.”

Miami as Muse and Memory Keeper

Now based in Miami, Josaphat draws inspiration from the city’s Caribbean rhythms and her Haitian heritage. A graduate of Florida International University’s MFA program, she mentors emerging writers and cultivates a literary community. “I love the community I’m discovering in Miami,” she says. “Poets, novelists, storytellers — their voices deserve to be heard. Outsiders often overlook that richness.” When writing, she visits Little Haiti and speaks with elders from the Duvalier era. “People like Jean Mapou are living archives,” she says. “They sustain history.”

A Broader Canvas: Kingdom of No Tomorrow

Her new novel, Kingdom of No Tomorrow, extends her scope from Haiti to the Black Power era in the United States, following a young Haitian woman who flees a dictatorship and joins the Black Panther Party. “It’s a coming-of-age story about love and self-discovery,” Josaphat says. “Fiction lets you feel what nonfiction can only tell.”

The Strength of Shared Stories

When asked what she hopes readers will take from her books, Josaphat is clear. “I want them to realize they are not alone,” she says. “Others have lived it. There is strength in togetherness.”

Her voice, like her prose, unites nations and generations — echoing Haiti’s past and beating for its future.