The Kingdom of This World

The Haitian revolution is the only successful slave revolt in the history of the world. It is an incredible story, which has been told well by many great authors. This is one of them. Carpentier's novel traces the history of the conflict through the eyes of TiNoel, a slave on the estate of the French planter Lenormand de Mezy in the Plaine du Nord on the fertile north of the French colony of Ste Domingue. The first historical character we meet is Francois Mackandal or Macandal, who attempted to kill the planters with poison and create a free black nation. Next we meet Dutty Boukman or Bouckman, who launched the revolution at a Vodou ceremony at Bois Caiman in August 1791. We learn about the terror, the struggle, and the flight of the French as TiNoel accompanies his master to Cuba. We are introduced to the French General Leclerc, who is sent to Ste Domingue with an army and fleet to reestablish French control, and also meet his wife Pauline Bonaparte and her masseur Soliman. TiNoel returns to Ste Domingue and journeys to the palace of Sans Souci, where he is forced to work on the construction of Le Citadelle La Ferriere and takes part in the sacking of the empire of Henri Christophe, the black king of northern Haiti. The book ends with the flight of Henri's Queen and daughters, as well as Soliman, to Italy. The main omission in this story is Toussaint L'Ouverture, who is barely mentioned, and he is the most important character in the revolution. The book is ultimately about life, about struggles to achieve greatness, whether it be a plantation or an empire, and about suffering and ruin. Carpentier ends his story by noting that "In the Kingdom of Heaven there is no grandeur to be won", therefore "man finds his greatness, his fullest measure, only in The Kingdom of This World". It would be good to read up on the Haitian Revolution before starting your read. The Wikipedia account will suffice.

I had never even heard of the writer Alejo Carpentier until I read a collection of Caribbean writing a year or so ago. I was amazed by his story in the collection and have since read his novel The Lost Steps as well as The Kingdom of This World. In both cases, Carpentier's writing (translated into English) is poetic and insightful. His descriptions of the natural world are as powerful as his insights into human nature. Each word carries its own weight with grace. I plan to read more of Carpentier's work as soon as I can.

"That this book is so short seems almost miraculous." But the execution is almost flawless. The narrative breezes by but all the important points are covered, and through the eyes of the slave Ti Noel we see the "proof of the uselessness of all revolt." From freedom from the French slave masters to the rebirth of suffering under King Henri Christophe, made even worse by "the limitless affront in being beaten by a Negro as black as oneself," "when the death of a slave was no drain on the public funds" because there were always black women to bear more children. And Ti Noel lives on disillusioned in this new world which the former heroes could never have foreseen, and his magical encounter with the geese makes it clear to him that even geese are partial and that all geese are not created equal. Carpentier's novel puts on full blast a haunting truth that still lives on today: Not all revolts are helpful, and "a man never knows for whom he suffers and hopes...he toils for people he will never know...for man always seeks a happiness far beyond that which is meted out to him." But this is the greatness of man, in always wanting to be better than he is, a greatness that can only be found in the face of afflictions and trials, which no one can truly avoid so long as we live on in The Kingdom of This World.

Excelente condiciones

"The Kingdom of This World" ("El reino de este mundo" in the original Spanish) is one of the most important novels of the 20th century, in any language. It started a true literary revolution which can be seen in the work of more known writers like Gabriel García Márquez. I read the book in Spanish, but wanted to gift it to a friend who only read in English, so I bought this translation. Almost immediately, I noticed something very wrong: this translation does not include the prologue by the author himself, which was not only in the original publication of the book, but continues to be published in Spanish-language copies of the book, and for good reason- this prologue is, arguably, as important as the novel itself. It describes the authors ideologically important visit to Haiti in 1943, and reads as a sort of manifesto for Carpentier's notion of "Lo real maravilloso," that is, the real and the marvelous coexisting in the daily life of Haiti and other Latin American countries. Many consider Carpentier to be the father of magical realism, and the term itself may have come from Carpentier's terminology. This prologue is so important that several literary anthologies have collected it without including any of the rest of the novel.I can't imagine why the publisher felt the need to include an introduction written by someone else, especially while eliminating the important introduction by the author himself. By all means, read the novel, but be aware that either the translator or publisher have foolishly omitted an integral piece of the work, which is essential to its full comprehension.

This book captures the magic of the country of Haiti and it’s beautiful history. Reminds me of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho in the way that it’s written to arouse the spirit of the reader.

This is the modestly magical realism (or as new style writer Alejo called it ‘real marvelous’ – mainly the last chapter) take on the Haitian slave revolution and aftermath from around 1791 to 1820 and beyond. The novel was written in 1949 and focuses on the slave Ti Noel owned by plantation master Lenormand Mezy. The story starts with the mass poisoning of the ruling class by one armed slave runaway Macandal. As time passes the transitions in regime and changes in ruling classes are depicted in lyrical, slight poetic imagery. Ti seems to exchange his youth for new brutal leaders including the first black king Henri Christophe who build the fortresses “Citadelle Laferrière” on the backs of the freed slaves. Ultimately the story is a short existential, precise based on Haitian history with various actual and imagined characters.A quote or two:“The negroes had violated nearly all the well-born girls of the Plaine. After ripping so much lace, after rolling among so many linen sheets and cutting the throats of so many overseers, they could longer be held down.”“The old man began to lose heart at the endless return of chains, this rebirth of shackles, this proliferation of suffering, which the more resigned began to accept as proof of the uselessness of revolt”.The narrative is not nearly as brutal or challenging as others I’ve read; but this is nonetheless a really good, short introduction to Latin American literature, the early development of magical realism, and ultimately a clever, enjoyable read. 3 stars.

An imaginative interpretation of the early history of Haiti: it's stylistically more pared down than Carpentier's other works and comparatively modest in length; both of which features lend the book to educational contexts for the wrong reason. Curiously the historical foundations have dated the book (modern histories take a different view of many of the underpinning events) and since the treatment is far less novelistic than the same author's 'An Explosion in a Cathedral' this matters more than it should. Of course it's good - Carpentier is a great writer - but it doesn't stun like 'The Lost Steps'.

The courier delivering the book was concerned because the envelope had been opened during its journey to me! Luckily the book was still inside: luck for me, full marks to courier for concern.This book is one of the best I have read with pure (if there can be such a thing) magic realism as its foundation.An excellent escapism, wonder and visit to the unknown within the known.

A unique and moving book. Not hat I expected but could not put it down.

Great book. Arrived in excellent condition.Thank you.