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Dany Laferrière received traditional Academician sword

Dany Laferrière received traditional Academician sword

Here is a picture of Haitian-Canadian Dany Laferrière as he received the traditional Academician sword in the French Academy

This took place during a ceremony in the town hall of Paris. This particular traditional Academician sword was created by the Haitian sculptor Patrick Vilaire.

Recently, in an induction ceremony at the Academie Francaise, French Academy, in Paris, Thursday May 28, 2015, the Haitian-born Canadian writer Dany Laferriere was enrolled as the newest member of l'Academie Francaise in the presence of 300 guests including the former Quebec premiers Jean Charest, Pauline Marois and Bernard Landry. Pierre Karl Péladeau, the leader of Parti Québécois was also present. The Académie française is a 40-member council, founded by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII, in 1635, and that is responsible to maintain the standards of the French language. Laferrière had received his "Academician Sword" from the French novelist and French Academy member Jean d'Ormesson (C) at City Hall in Paris on May 26, 2015. He was elected to the council in December 2013, but the formal induction ceremony, loyal to a 400 year old protocol, was held on Thursday.

Dany Laferrière was born (13 April 1953) in Port-au-Prince and raised in Petit Goâve. He worked as a journalist in Haïti before moving to Canada in 1976 and hosting television programming for the TQS network. His first novel (How to Make Love to a Negro Without Getting Tired) was published in 1985, it was later adapted into a screenplay and won 11th Genie Awards in 1990. He has so far authored about 20 novels, including the award-winning "L'enigme du retour". He is the first Quebec writer to join the "immortals category"-- the term is referred for people named to the council to join the 39 other members, called immortals; they are elected to the institution for life. His introduction speech at the Academy touched on a theme that is often present in most of his works-- "exile".

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