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Danticat krik kraks into Ann Arbor

When you are a finalist for the National Book Award at age 26, people are going to take notice. Ditto if you are a writer who chronicles the experience of one of the richest, most under-represented cultures in American fiction. And ditto again if you possess a poetic narrative voice that resounds with heft and emotion. People are starting to notice Edwidge Danticat, author of the critically lauded "Krik? Krak!" (Vintage, 1996), who will be reading at Shaman Drum this Friday night.

Danticat, who also penned a novel called "Breath, Eyes, Memory," is one of the most talked-about young writers in America, recently making Granta magazine's list of the top 20 young American fiction writers. Indeed, the praise is well deserved. "Krik? Krak!" is a nearly impeccable collection of short stories that delves into the emotional undercurrents of life in the violent chaos of the Haitian nation. Danticat also examines the experience of Haitian immigrants in America.

It's an experience she knows well. Born in Haiti, Danticat remained there until she was 12. At that time she went to Brooklyn, where her parents were already living and had established a new home for their children. She says her experiences in Haiti still remain fresh. In an interview with the Michigan Daily, Danticat said, "Haiti seems like such a recent memory, and such a strong one. It's so strong that I often feel like I have never completely left it." She credits that feeling with giving her such a strong sense of the Haitian experience.

After she moved to Brooklyn, Danticat had to endure all sorts of teasing and abuse from her classmates. As a Haitian immigrant, the jokes about her accent and her culture were strong. But she said she found support from her family and the large Haitian community in Brooklyn. One aspect in which the support from her parents wasn't as strong was her desire to become a writer.

Danticat said her parents never discouraged her from writing, but they did urge her to have some sort of a back-up plan. "It was a bit worrying (her desire to write) because you know that your parents made so many sacrifices for you," Danticat said. "As an immigrant, you have a sense that if you want to stay in this country, you have to be successful, at least in some small way."

Danticat has definitely been successful enough. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in French literature from Barnard College, she went on to receive a Master of Fine Arts degree (M.F.A.) from Brown University. Her thesis there became her first novel. Danticat said studying for the M.F.A. gave her an enormous lift as a writer, giving her two years to completely immerse herself in the craft, as well as giving her the fellowship of other young writers.

Still, Danticat said there is a danger in M.F.A programs. "You have to be careful of writing only to please others in your program," she said. "You have to believe very strongly in your own voice. It's the only way. You have to believe you are the right person to tell these stories."

Stories are a dominant aspect of Haitian culture. "People in Haiti are very careful with the way they communicate. Writing is traceable, so people developed ways of telling things 'under their breath' - in images and

metaphors and codes."

Danticat also said low literacy rates and repressive laws heighten the importance of storytelling. She said it's common for one person in a neighborhood or village to read the newspaper aloud to everyone else. She also said that shortly after President Aristide's fall from power, a political allegory made its way into a popular carnival song. The tune spoke of a leaf that has fallen from a tree, a subtle political metaphor that enraged the new ruling powers when they discovered its meaning.

Danticat's native tongue is Creole, and she said that may help her in her English fiction writing. She approaches English with a "sense of playfulness," she said. "I also try very hard to be clear. I think that helps. I think it brings a fresh view to the language."

Indeed, in her fledgling career, Danticat has definitely brought a new freshness and vividness to American fiction, a new voice that shows great promise of evolving even further.