Curaçao writer, sculptor and artist Elis Juliana's poetry blends the intrinsic rhythmic and tonal aspects of the Papiamentu language as he depicts the Afro-Caribbean lifestyles of his people with the traditional form of Japanese haiku. Juliana reveals the vitality of his native language Papiamentu with short and swift flashes of intense impressions and potent ideas in his writing. With humor he typifies the character and individuality of the Antillean. The volume will be of interest to scholars of Creole languages, readers interested in the Caribbean literary/socio-cultural scene, and students of translation and poetry. This publication was made possible by a grant from the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Nederlandse Antillen en Aruba.

Author, poet, and artist Elis Juliana lives in Curaçao.

Elis Juliana's profile page

Hélène Garrett is a doctoral candidate in Modern Languages and Cultural Studies at the University of Alberta. Her Ph.D. thesis is Translating Papiamentu, a language she was exposed to on the islands.

Hélène Garrett's profile page

• The John Glassco Prize - John Glassco Prize (Honourable Mention)

"The judges also agreed that an honourable mention should be awarded to the book Haiku in Papiamentu, written by Elis Juliana in Papiamentu, the creole language of the Dutch West Indies, which was translated into English by Hélène Garrett and published by the University of Alberta. They found this book to be a remarkable linguistic and cultural project--and a highly sensitive translation that conveys both the cadence and lushness of the original." Comments from the John Glassco Prize for Literary Translation 2004 Organizer

"Perhaps once obscure in English, Elis Juilana is less so now - thanks to the appearance of Haiku in Papiamentu, translated by Hélène Garrett. This slim book gives us the living Curaço poet's work in his native Creole, plus translation." George Elliot Clarke, The Nova Scotian

"Although I mentioned Elis Juliana's poetry in my last column, I need to return to his Haiku in Papiamentu.... This fine little book demonstrates the force of simple language." George Elliott Clarke, The Nova Scotian

"In a similar vein, University of Alberta Press should be commended for its bilingual edition of Haiku in Papiamentu by Curaçao-born Elis Juliana, well known for his ethnographic work on local folklore. As doctoral candidate Hélène Garrett explains in her translator's introduction, Papiamentu is a Dutch-based creole spoken in the Netherlands Antilles that has been largely depreciated by its speakers. Juliana has published over a dozen collections of poems and short stories in Papiamentu, thus contributing to the recent revival of the islands' vernacular and cultural identity. As he states in his introduction to the volume, by choosing haiku, he hoped at once to acquaint his readers with this Japanese form of poetry and to demonstrate the vitality, richness, and rigour of Papiamentu." Agnes Whitfield & Gillian Lane-Mercier, University of Toronto Quarterly, 2004 winter

"In terms of translation Haiku poetry therefore represents a very challenging object. For that reason we have to thank Hélène Garrett, born on Curacao and currently living in Canada, who lately gave her inclination for languages and specifically Papiamentu an academic spin, for taking up this painstaking and challenging endeavour.a welcome and successful contribution to the perpetually growing 'world carpet of literature'. Since it represents a contribution from an exceptionally rich Creole culture it is even more valuable since it helps to prevent this specific Antillean minority from being marginalized." Eva Martha Eckkrammer (University ofSalzburg, Austria), The Eclectic Muse: A Poetry Journal, Vol. 10, Christmas 2004

"...University of Alberta Press should be commended for its bilingual edition of Haiku in Papiamentu by Curacao-born Elis Juliana, well known for his ethnographic work on local folklore. As doctoral candidate Helene Garrett explains in her translator's introduction, Papiamentu is a Dutch-based creole spoken in the Netherlands Antilles that has been largely depreciated by its speakers. Juliana has published over a dozen collections of poems and short stories in Papiamentu, thus contributing to the recent revival of the islands' vernacular and cultural identity. As he states in his introduction to the volume, by choosing haiku, he hoped at once to acquaint his readers with this Japanese form of poetry and to demonstrate the vitality, richness, and rigour of Papiamentu." University of Toronto Quarterly, Vol. 74, No. 1, Winter 2004/5

"Hélène Garrett's translation of Curaço poet Elis Juliana's Un Mushi di Haiku introduces North American readers to the evocative Creole of the Netherlands Antilles.... It is to be hoped that the interest sparked by Haiku will bring other work by Juliana and fellow Papiamentu writers to greater international prominence alongside their English and French Creole counterparts in Caribbean literature." Robin Visel, Furman University

"The collection translated here captures the poet's vitality of language, which he uses to show his resistance to colonialism and missionary and political influences." John Walker, Canadian Book Review Annual, 2006.

".a rare and commendable little poetry collection...by the Curacao poet Elis Juliana, translated by Hélène Garrett." George Fetherling, The New Brunswick Reader

"A well-respected visual artist, Juliana knows how to evoke images within the limits of the poems' structural constraints and aims for gentle observations, spinning a beautifully consistent collection brimming with pithy gems." Gilbert Bouchard, Edmonton Journal

"The poetry of Elis Juliana. blends the instrinsic rhythmic and toal aspects of the Papiamentu language as he depicts the Afro-Caribbean lifestyles of his people." Prairie books NOW, Summer 2004

"In this rare translation of Elis Juliana and of the Papiamentu language, Hélène Garrett invites the reader to eavesdrop on 'Antilleanness and Caribbeanness' and to hear the collective voice of a people deeply rooted in the colonization, enslavement and emancipation of its speakers." Betty Ratzlaff-Henriquez, author of the English/Papiamentu Dictionary-Papiamentu/Ingles Dikshonario