Representations of zombis in Emile Ollivier's La discorde aux cent voix and Dany Laferrière's Pays sans chapeau

Two Haitian authors living and writing in Montral, Emile Ollivier and Dany Laferrière, use the figure of the zombi to represent a long-standing dialogue of interiority and exteriority between the United States and Haiti. Ollivier's 1986 novel, La discorde aux cent voix, and Laferrière's 1997 novel, Pays sans chapeau, are both narratives that reflect the penetration of exteriority into Haitian identity, employing the zombi as an integral part of this reflection. References to the zombi, a definably Haitian entity that has captured the fascination of American popular culture, serve as expressions of the voices of exteriority that pervade Haitian literary expression. In this thesis, I propose an analysis of the ways in which intertextual and transtextual readings of these references deepen an understanding of the multifaceted perceptions of an internationally reflected self that permeates Haitian literature