Jacques Stephen Alexis

Jacques Stephen Alexis is a famous Haitian writer, a poet, and activist. Jacques Stephen Alexis is a descendent of Haitian President and Emperor Jean-Jacques Dessalines.

Jacques Stephen Alexis is best known for his novels Compere General Soleil (1955), Les Arbres Musiciens (1957), and L'Espace d'un Cillement (1959), and for his collection of short stories.

Jacques Stephen Alexis was born on 22 April 1922, in Gonaives. His father, Stephen Mesmin Alexis was a journalist, historian and diplomat who served as Haiti's ambassador to the United Kingdom and represented Haiti at the United Nations.

Jacques Stephen Alexis was also an active participant in the social and political debates of his time.

In 1959, he formed the People's Consensus Party (Parti pour l'Entente Nationale-PEP), a left-oriented political party, but he was forced into exile by the Duvalier dictatorship. In August 1960, he attended a Moscow meeting of representatives of 81 communist parties from all over the world, and signed a common accord document called "The Declaration of the 81" in the name of Haitian communists.

In April 1961, he returned to Haiti but soon after landing at Mole St Nicholas he was captured by Tontons Macoutes. He was taken to the town's main square where he was tortured and then killed.

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