French Literature Reviews - 2026

Alessia Vignoli, La catastrophe naturelle en littérature
Francophone and Oral Literatures

Stemming from the author's research conducted in Haiti and key hubs of the Haitian diaspora between 2018 and 2021, this book explores the various literary approaches used to represent the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010. Throughout the chapters, the author traces the presence of natural disasters in Francophone Caribbean literatures (Martinique, Guadeloupe) and in select works published in Europe and North America, before delving into the core Haitian literary corpus. The analysis reveals that Haitian literature—while remaining deeply attuned to ethical concerns—largely avoided rigid literary programs or ideological prescriptions, instead favoring a pluralistic array of ways to articulate the earthquake and its aftermath. This journey through representations of natural disasters across diverse cultural contexts frames Francophone Caribbean literatures as border literatures, inherently open to multi- and trans-cultural values. In particular, the Haitian corpus emerges as a dynamic space for the circulation of heterogeneous discourses rather than an isolated, insular production.

Alessia Vignoli holds a Ph.D. in Francophone Literatures of the Americas from the University of Warsaw. She is a research associate at the Centre for Research on French-Canadian Culture and Québécois Literature at the Institute of Romance Studies, University of Warsaw, where she teaches French and Italian.

The representation of catastrophic events has long occupied writers seeking to articulate collective trauma and societal rupture, particularly within regions shaped by complex histories. In Caribbean literary studies, natural disasters often function as narrative catalysts that reveal underlying social structures and cultural dynamics. Scholars in the field frequently examine how texts navigate the balance between aesthetic form and ethical urgency when addressing large-scale crises. Readers interested in contemporary Francophone Caribbean literatures and disaster studies may find this volume relevant to these ongoing critical conversations.

Alessia Vignoli draws upon research conducted in Haiti and diasporic hubs between 2018 and 2021 to explore the various literary approaches used to represent the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010. The study traces natural disasters across Francophone Caribbean literatures, including Martinique and Guadeloupe, alongside works published in Europe and North America, before focusing on the core Haitian literary corpus. The analysis indicates that Haitian literature largely avoided rigid ideological prescriptions, opting instead for a pluralistic array of ways to articulate the earthquake and its aftermath. Furthermore, the volume frames these texts as border literatures inherently open to multi- and trans-cultural values, presenting the Haitian corpus as a dynamic space for the circulation of heterogeneous discourses rather than an insular production.