Woben Lakwa — Daniel Defoe

"Woben Lakwa" is the Haitian Creole adaptation of Daniel Defoe's (1719) masterpiece, "Robinson Crusoe." This classic book tells the thrilling story of the adventurer, Robinson Crusoe (Woben Lakwa). At the beginning of the book, the young Englishman is bored with his mundane existence and longs for travel and independence. Woben launches himself into an adventure in a world that is rapidly shrinking due to nautical science and the explosion of European colonialism. Woben travels to Africa and Brazil; finally he shipwrecks on a small Caribbean island near Trinidad. That is where he spends 28 years struggling to stay alive and escape his desperate isolation. "Woben Lakwa" is an exciting novel that recounts the hard-knock life of an Atlantic wayfarer. Woben's survival strategies, his encounter with African, Brazilian and Caribbean people, and the violent measures he takes to secure his rescue have fascinated readers for centuries. Woben Lakwa provokes thought about colonialism, slavery and the consequences of European racial and religious ideologies in Africa and the Americas. The book includes a 13 page introduction by Benjamin Hebblethwaite and Lyonel Desmarattes plus 10 pages of reading comprehension questions that engage readers in discussion about the story and the vocabulary. This timeless novel will stun adult and teenage readers alike. Editorial Reviews: "Carrying a snake to school is one thing, making it sit is another." -- If we want to apply this proverb to the issue of literacy in Haiti, we can say that teaching people to write is a necessary thing; but what is more important is making available texts and books that are interesting for them to read. That is where we find the enormous contribution of Lyonel Desmarattes who adapted into Haitian Creole and into the culture of Haiti many classics, such as great French theatrical works, and in this book he allows Haitians and other Haitian Creole-speakers to discover a riveting account of an early contact between Europeans and Caribbeans. -- Albert Valdman, Indiana University Creole Institute About the editors: Lyonel Dominique S. Desmarattes works in the Haitian Creole section of the Voice of America in Washington, D.C. Benjamin Hebblethwaite works as Assistant Professor in Haitian Creole and Francophone Studies at the University of Florida in Gainesville