The Infanticide in Marie-Célie Agnant’s Le Livre d’Emma or Colonized Caring Made Manifest

Abstract

Le livre d’Emma (2001) by Marie-Célie Agnant recounts the story of Emma Bratte following the murder of her young daughter, Lola. Flore, who is also the narrator of the story, meets Emma at the psychiatric ward where she is confined: she is tasked with acting as an interpreter since Emma refuses to speak any language but Haitian Creole. It is during the sessions with Flore that Emma speaks of “la malédiction du sang”, a blood-borne curse originating with the slave trade and colonization. This