Dany Laferrière was born on April 13th, 1953, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He spent his childhood in the village of Petit Goave, Haiti, where he was raised.
After completing his studies, Laferrière began his career in journalism, working for a newspaper and radio station, primarily as a cultural reporter. However, during the reign of the Duvalier regime, his work as a journalist often put him at odds with the government, and he was forced to flee Haiti for Montreal, Canada in 1976, following the death of his friend and colleague, Gasner Raymond.
In Canada, Laferrière found work as a journalist and began to write. His first novel, "Comment faire l'amour avec un nègre sans se fatiguer" (How to Make Love to a Negro Without Getting Tired),was published in 1985. He continued to work in journalism, this time for various television stations in the province of Quebec.
From 1990 to 2002, Laferrière and his family relocated to Miami, USA, where he spent 10 months of the year. During this time, he continued to write and publish novels, receiving numerous literary awards.
In 1991, Laferrière received the Prix Carbet de la Caraibe for his novel "L'Odeur du café". Two years later, he received the Prix Edgar-Lesperance for his novel "Le Gout des jeunes filles". His 1994 novel, "Chronique de la derive douce", chronicled his first year in Montreal.
In 2002, Laferrière received the Prix RFO du Livre for his novel "Cette Grenade dans la main du jeune nègre est-elle une arme ou un fruit?". He made his directorial debut in 2004 with the film "Comment conquérir l'Amérique en une nuit", which premiered at the Montreal Festival des Films du monde.
Seven of Laferrière's books have been translated into English, with some also being translated into Spanish, Korean, and Swedish. He is one of the few writers of his generation to be widely recognized in both English and French Canada.
Laferrière has adapted and collaborated on movie scripts for many of his novels, including "Voodoo taxi" and "Ziggy gonna get it". He reunited with the film industry in 2005 for the movie "Vers le sud", directed by Laurent Cantet, which was inspired by three short stories written by Laferrière.
