Reviews
" Vodou Songs in Haitian Creole and English gives English-language readers access, for the first time, to a remarkably rich and diverse corpus of songs. Hebblethwaite, a leading expert in Haitian Kreyòl, provides excellent translations and lucid linguistic and cultural analysis. He shows how Vodou songs bring together theology, history, and poetry. A vital resource for all those interested in Haitian culture and religion, as well as for those teaching and learning Haitian Kreyòl." - Laurent Dubois , Duke University, author of Haiti: The Aftershocks of History, "Benjamin Hebblethwaite's Vodou Songs in Haitian Creole and English is an extraordinary compilation of the sacred oral traditions of Haiti. Hebblethwaite brings the combined talents of an ethnographer and linguist to the translation and interpretation of over six hundred Vodou songs, spanning several decades, contexts, and moods. Many are from important collections that have never been published. Accompanying this remarkable project is a hundred-page dictionary of Vodou terms, which will be an invaluable resource for students of Haitian culture and religion." - Joseph M. Murphy , Georgetown University, author of Working the Spirit: Ceremonies of the African Diaspora, "Hebblethwaite offers an exemplary entrée into the textual universe of the songs of Haitian Vodou, one of the most important features of the religion. Compendiums of Haitian Vodou song texts in English and Haitian Creole are uncommon making this book all the more important.... The book's strengths make it useful for students and specialists of Caribbean religions, linguistics, and history. It is clearly written and makes a contribution to Haitian studies by emphasizing the critical importance of Vodou song texts as literature."--Journal of West Indian Literature, April 2013, "Benjamin Hebblethwaite's Vodou Songs in Haitian Creole and English is an extraordinary compilation of the sacred oral traditions of Haiti. Hebblethwaite brings the combined talents of an ethnographer and linguist to the translation and interpretation of over six hundred Vodou songs, spanning several decades, contexts, and moods. Many are from important collections that have never been published. Accompanying this remarkable project is a hundred-page dictionary of Vodou terms, which will be an invaluable resource for students of Haitian culture and religion." -- Joseph M. Murphy , Georgetown University, author of Working the Spirit: Ceremonies of the African Diaspora, " Vodou Songs in Haitian Creole and English gives English-language readers access, for the first time, to a remarkably rich and diverse corpus of songs. Hebblethwaite, a leading expert in Haitian Kreyòl, provides excellent translations and lucid linguistic and cultural analysis. He shows how Vodou songs bring together theology, history, and poetry. A vital resource for all those interested in Haitian culture and religion, as well as for those teaching and learning Haitian Kreyòl." -- Laurent Dubois , Duke University, author of Haiti: The Aftershocks of History
