Simple Stories
- Author: Lyonel Trouillot (Haïti)
- Book type: stories from Haiti
- English translation: Willard Wood
- Publisher: Other Press
- To be released: June 16, 2026
- Length: 256 pages
- Format: paperback / ebook
- Prize: $15.99
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Content of the book by the Haitian author Lyonel Trouillot
This vibrant collection of 22 stories offers a kaleidoscopic view of Haiti and a wonderful encapsulation of the acclaimed author’s work.
In a country plagued by dictatorship and insurrection, poverty and corruption, where police officers and gang members become hard to distinguish, art provides a sense of meaning and respite.
As people from all walks of life protest their tyrannical leader, a painter tries to reconcile the brutal violence he sees with the beauty of his lover. A wealthy industrialist’s kidnapping ties back to his past with a humble laundress from the seaside. A lovesick servant girl turns to magic to win her master’s heart. Having escaped the shantytowns he grew up in, a wannabe James Bond feels their pull again when he gets involved with an alluring young woman—and her pimp.
Written with the masterful language of a poet, and filled with characters at once lifelike and mythical, Lyonel Trouillot’s story collection creates a multifaceted portrait of modern Haiti.