Elsie Augustave (born in Haiti) is a Haitian-American author. Her debut novel, '' The Roving Tree'' ( Akashic Books, 2013),"The Roving Tree"
at Akashic Books. follows a young Haitian adoptee, Iris Odys, through various journeys across the world. Odys is the rejected daughter of a Haitian maid and of the middle-class Haitian man who employs her. In addition to the struggle for identity of cross-cultural adoptees, the book explores themes of class, color and religion in Haiti. McArthur prize winner

Edwidge Danticat Edwidge Danticat (; born January 19, 1969) is a Haitian-American novelist and short story writer. Her first novel, ''Breath, Eyes, Memory'', was published in 1994 and went on to become an Oprah's Book Club selection. Danticat has since written or ...

described the book to ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' as "a gorgeous new novel about a Haitian adoptee finding her way in many different corners of the world."

Early life

Augustave describes her childhood as typical of that of many Haitian migrants. Her parents—who are from

Lascahobas Lascahobas ( ht, Laskawobas; es, Las Caobas) is a commune located in the Centre department of Haiti, roughly one hour east of Mirebalais, 10 minutes south of Lac de Peligre, and one hour west of the border with the Dominican Republic. The pop ...

and

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

, Haiti—migrated to the United States to flee the

François Duvalier François Duvalier (; 14 April 190721 April 1971), also known as Papa Doc, was a Haitian politician of French Martiniquan descent who served as the President of Haiti from 1957 to 1971. He was elected president in the 1957 general election on ...

dictatorship, leaving her and siblings with relatives in Haiti. When the family sent for her in 1967, she moved to Spring Valley, New York at a time when there were only one or two other Haitian families. She had just completed her elementary education. Augustave says that the only thing she has in common with her character Iris is the countries they have visited.

Education and career

Augustave is a graduate of

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...

and Howard University, with degrees in foreign language and literature. She has been a Fulbright Fellow in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

and choreographed the production ''Elima Ngando'' for the National Dance Theater of Zaire, now

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

. She taught French and Spanish at

Stuyvesant High School Stuyvesant High School (pronounced ), commonly referred to among its students as Stuy (pronounced ), is a State school, public university-preparatory school, college-preparatory, Specialized high schools in New York City, specialized high school ...

in NYC from 1984 to 2015 and is a consultant at

The College Board The College Board is an American nonprofit organization that was formed in December 1899 as the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) to expand access to higher education. While the College Board is not an association of colleges, it runs a ...

. Augustave says her Fulbright fellowship in France and Senegal informed her ability to describe her character Iris' cultural experiences.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Augustave, Elsie American women choreographers American choreographers Haitian women novelists Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Middlebury College alumni Howard University alumni Haitian emigrants to the United States 21st-century American women writers