The kingdom of this world
The Empire of this World ( Spanish original title: El reino de este mundo ) is the second novel by the Cuban-French writer Alejo Carpentier . It is one of the most important works of magical realism in Caribbean and South American literature.
The original Spanish edition was published in 1949 under the title El reino de este mundo . The German first edition appeared in 1964 by Insel Verlag Frankfurt am Main.
action
The book tells the story of the slave Ti Noel in the time before, during and after the Haitian Revolution . The slaves, led by Mackandal , a black man who can take the form of various animals, fight for their freedom; they oppose the reason of whites with their belief in miracles and magic. The successful struggle against the supremacy of the whites is followed by the rule of the black, former slave Henri Christophe . Ti Noel is used again for forced labor and experiences freedom for a short time only late - already as an old man.
Reviews
“ The Empire of this World is one of the most perfect novels written in Spanish in the 20th century. "
literature
- Alejo Carpentier: The Empire of This World . Insel Verlag, Frankfurt a. M. 1964 ( Insel-Bücherei 816)