The First and Last King of Haiti
The Rise and Fall of Henry Christophe
$49.47
- Hardcover
656 pages
- Release Date
6 June 2025
Summary
The dramatic story of a pivotal figure in the Haitian Revolution, who shook the Atlantic world to its core
Born to an enslaved mother in Grenada, Henry Christophe first fought to overthrow the British in North America, before joining the Black freedom fighters of Saint-Domingue in their quest to gain independence from France. But, at one point, Christophe turned his back on the revolutionaries to side with Napoleon’s forces—only to later fight against them, afterward …
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780300283853 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0300283857 |
| Author: | Marlene L. Daut |
| Publisher: | Yale University Press |
| Imprint: | Yale University Press |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 656 |
| Release Date: | 6 June 2025 |
| Weight: | 862g |
| Dimensions: | 50mm x 167mm x 241mm |
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Critics Review
“Impressively researched… . Everyone should know this story of revolution and of Christophe, the first and last king of Haiti—it should be taught in our schools.”—Simon Sebag Montefiore, Times (UK)
A Foreign Affairs Best Book of 2025
A Washington Independent Review of Books 51 Favorite Books of 2025
“This monumental work is a true labour of love… . A remarkably vivid portrait of a fascinating and charismatic and man.”—Jess Moreney, Dorset Magazine
Finalist for the Cundill History Prize 2025, sponsored by McGill University
“A fascinating, in-depth, and meticulously researched biography of Haiti’s revolutionary-turned-king.”—Edwidge Danticat, author of Breath, Eyes, Memory
“Daut is meticulous, indeed, forensic, in her examination of the extant archival and textual documentation of Christophe’s life and times. Daut’s monumental work conclusively demystifies one of the most misunderstood, romanticized and demonized figures of the Haitian Revolution in order to set him free once more. This is an important, signal work from one of Haiti’s leading historians.”—Myriam J. A. Chancy, author of Harvesting Haiti: Reflections on Unnatural Disasters
“A tour de force. Daut brings King Henry Christophe vividly back to life in this deeply researched and rivetingly told biography. In a work overflowing with new archival discoveries and insights, she carries us expertly through a moment of revolutionary political thought and cultural transformation that reshaped our world and its possibilities. Everyone should know this history.”—Laurent Dubois, author of Haiti: The Aftershocks of History
“Meticulous in her research, Daut shows us, often for the first time, the various personal, cultural, political, and financial forces that created the controversial future king in all his complexity, as well as the specific contours of his leadership—and his failures.”—Amy Wilentz, author of The Rainy Season: Haiti Since Duvalier
Marlene L. Daut
Marlene L. Daut is Professor of French and African Diaspora Studies at Yale University, and the author of several books including Awakening the Ashes: An Intellectual History of the Haitian Revolution. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the New Yorker and the Los Angeles Review of Books.
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