Founding Fictions of the Dutch Caribbean: Carel de Haseth’s "Slave and Master (Katibu di Shon)" - A Dual-Language Edition - Translated and with an ... and Joseph O. Aimone

by Carel De Haseth, Olga E. Rojer, Joseph O. Aimone

Carel de Haseth’s novella Slave and Master ( Katibu di Shon ), written in the Creole language Papiamentu, dramatizes the August 17, 1795 slave revolt on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao. The story is told through an alternating series of dramatic monologues by two key Luis, a slave, and a leader of the revolt; and Shon Welmu, his childhood friend and white heir to the slave plantation. The exposition begins shortly after the revolt has been crushed, as Luis awaits his brutal execution, and it ends with his preemptive suicide. The theme is the acceptance of the inevitablity of emancipation.
Founding Fictions of the Dutch Carel de Haseth’s Slave and Master (Katibu di Shon) is suitable for courses on Caribbean literature and postcolonial literature, and will be of great interest to readers of fiction in general.

70 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Marjolein · Rating 4 out of 5]

In een op historische personen en gebeurtenissen gebaseerd verhaal vertellen slaaf Louis en meester Wilmoe (Willem) om de beurt over de grote slavenopstand van 17 augustus 1795 op Curaçao, en de bloedige onderdrukkking daarvan. Hoewel ze als kinderen speelkameraadjes waren, komen ze tegenover elkaar te staan. Uiteindelijk vinden beiden begrip voor de ander, maar dat kan de terechtstelling van Louis niet voorkomen.

Op dit moment, september 2021, werkt Tania Kross, zelf op Curaçao geboren, voor de tweede maal aan de uitvoering van een opera naar dit boek, de eerste opera in het Papiaments. De voorouders van haar en Carel De Haseth komen van dezelfde plantage, die van haar waren er slaaf, die van hem meester.

[Martijn Nicolaas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Afwisselend vertellen een slaafgemaakte man en een meester het verhaal van de slavenopstand van 1795 op Curaçao. Ze blijken steeds meer gemeen te hebben en overdenken hun leven, hun jeugd en de slavernij in mooie, sfeervolle taal.

[Danilo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Algo me diz que minha qualificação do livro está influenciada pela tradução, mas achei o livro bem mais ou menos. Ele é meio ingênuo demais, talvez. Enfim, esperava mais

[Sir Gentleman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall I did like the story, I like historic stories. It’s interesting to have seen the situation from both perspectives. They way Louis described what was happening really made me feel as if I was there experiencing the cruelty myself.

What ruined it for me was Anita getting raped and her forgiving it? Saying that she loved both of them? I’m sorry but are you for real? For me it seemed as if rape wasn’t a big deal.

So for me this story is like your favorite food. You’re eating your favorite food and then a bird poops in it (the rape and everything around it). That doesn’t mean that the food itself isn’t good but that poop in there ruins the entire dish.