The Kingdom of This World (El reino de este mundo)

“A few years after its liberation from the brutality of French colonial rule in 1803, Haiti endured a period of even greater brutality under the reign of King Henri-Christophe, who was born a slave in Grenada but rose to become the first black king in the Western Hemisphere.In prose of often dreamlike coloration & intensity, Alejo Carpentier records the destruction of the black regime--built on the same corruption & contempt for human life that brought down the French while embodying the same hollow grandeur of false elegance, attained only through slave labor--in an orgy of voodoo, race hatred, madness, & erotomania.”Wikipedia:The Kingdom of This World (Spanish: El reino de este mundo) is a novel by Cuban author Alejo Carpentier, published in 1949 in his native Spanish & first translated into English in 1957. A work of historical fiction, it tells the story of Haiti before, during, & after the Haitian Revolution led by Toussaint Louverture, as seen by its central character, Ti Noel, who serves as the novel's connecting thread. Carpentier's work has been influenced by his multi-cultural experience & his passion for the arts, as well as by authors such as Miguel de Cervantes. The novel stems from the author's desire to retrace the roots & history of the New World, & is embedded with what Carpentier calls “lo real maravilloso” or “the marvelous real”—a concept he introduced to the world of literature (not to be confused with magical realism). The Kingdom of This World is considered to be Alejo Carpentier's first great novel. He is praised for his skillful inclusion of Haitian voodoo, myth, & history in the work, as well as for contributing to the definition of Latin American identity. "The unevenly clustered historical conditions of the Caribbean nations bind us to the revival and redefinition of the ideals of unification begotten by 19th Century Puerto Rican thinkers. Coleccion Caribena is intended to build connection points that will enable the exchange of ideas, languages and forms. In doing so this collection will reflect the plural character of the region while publishing a comprehensive sample of works in various fields-Literature, Social Sciences, Literary Criticism, History-and, hopefully in various languages. This novel includes the original prologue in which the author coins the term ""magic realism"" (lo real maravilloso) to describe Latin American reality, and a second prologue." A Few Years After Its Liberation From The Brutality Of French Colonial Rule In 1803, Haiti Endured A Period Of Even Greater Brutality Under The Reign Of King Henri-christophe, Who Was Born A Slave In Grenada But Rose To Become The First Black King In The Western Hemisphere. In Prose Of Often Dreamlike Coloration And Intensity, Alejo Carpentier Records The Destruction Of The Black Regime--built On The Same Corruption And Contempt For Human Life That Brought Down The French While Embodying The Same Hollow Grandeur Of False Elegance, Attained Only Through Slave Labor--in An Orgy Of Voodoo, Race Hatred, Madness, And Erotomania. Alejo Carpentier ; Introducción, Federico Acevedo. Includes Bibliographical References. "A few years after its liberation from the brutality of French colonial rule in 1803, Haiti endured a period of even greater brutality under the reign of King Henri-Christophe, who was born a slave in Grenada but rose to become the first black king in the Western Hemisphere. In prose of often dreamlike coloration and intensity, Alejo Carpentier records the destruction of the black regime--built on the same corruption and contempt for human life that brought down the French while embodying the same hollow grandeur of false elegance, attained only through slave labor--in an orgy of voodoo, race hatred, madness, and erotomania." -- (Source of summary not specified)