After five books set in the Alpes-Maritimes, author Marie-Christine Stigset publishes two novels on slavery in Haiti

At first glance, the connection between Menton and Haiti isn't exactly obvious. It took the eye of a history buff and meticulous researcher to weave the connections. And a unique trait: writing novels that flow from one another even when the setting changes.

After five books set in the Alpes-Maritimes, author Marie-Christine Stigset - who lives between Oslo and the city of lemons - has decided to move one of her characters from the Côte d'Azur to the Antilles.

After having detected that the two territories had in common the resistance of their population in the face of French oppression in the immediate post-Revolution period.

Literary tip

In her previous works, the Franco-Norwegian, who fell under the spell of old Menton - to the point of delving into its past - had sought to return to the Barbets' revolt.

"Here, it was not a question of colonization, but rather of an invasion. In September 1792 in Nice, then in 1793 in Menton. The Revolution was then assailed from all sides in Europe. For fear of an invasion by the Austrians, it created a buffer zone stretching from the Var to the Alps. But things went very badly. The men came with fine speeches: we deliver you from the tyrants, we will take nothing from you... Except that an army must be maintained," recalls Marie-Christine Stigset. Pointing out the need to import everything at the expense of the inhabitants, when one does not opt for unceremonious confiscations.

Looting, massacres, thefts, and torture mark the revolutionary army's passage. The revolt swells. Faced with the invader, the Barbets apply the method of guerrilla warfare—thanks to a perfect knowledge of their country and their mountains. "The common point between this history and that of Haiti is that they have both been hidden. I asked a friend who is a history teacher how much slavery was covered in the school curriculum. The answer: one hour in the first grade, one hour in the final grade…" As noted.

With her literary tricks up her sleeve, Marie-Christine Stigset sets out to rehabilitate these men and women who were victims of servitude. Through two fictional novels based on verified historical facts, published in May by Éditions du Bord du Lot.

Large documentation

"My hero, Bertrand de Roquefeuille, is a Provençal aristocrat who appears in my book Le Barbet du Plan du lion, in a trial scene. Accused of emigrating after the French Revolution, he is condemned to the guillotine. " But an alternative (historically real) exists: leaving for the Antilles.

To replace the planters who fled the farms after the slave revolution in August 1791. Saint-Domingue, at the time, was the leading producer of sugar and coffee. France had no intention of losing such a resource.

"And that's how my character arrives in the Antilles in 1793. I apply my usual technique: introducing a fictional character tasked with staging history. I give him many of the characteristics of Toussaint Louverture's officers. In the book, he even becomes friends with him."

To document the history of the Menton barbets, Marie-Christine Stigset had access to the municipal archives. For Haiti, she relied on a valuable resource: Sudhir Hazareesingh, a specialist in French history at Oxford. "I'm going to send him the first volume, explaining that I've recycled his information into a novel," she smiles.

The genius Toussaint Louverture

In Volume I of Les Guerriers d'Ayiti, we discover life on the plantations, the hell of slavery, an introduction to Indian culture... And the figure of Toussaint Louverture, of course.

"He was born a slave on the Bréda plantation, but his father was a prince from what is now Benin. Toussaint excelled at horse riding; a missionary taught him to read and write. He had a deep knowledge of nature. For all these reasons, he attracted the attention of the plantation manager, who made him his coachman, then his right-hand man. Before emancipating him in 1776," summarizes Marie-Christine Stigset.

Indicating that he would demonstrate an innate military genius during the 1791 Revolution. To the point of being nicknamed the "Black Napoleon." He also had this ability to create a breach to isolate the two parts of an army. The famous opening...

An ally of General Laveaux, he was a Republican at heart. He wanted a multiracial society. His main demand? The abolition of slavery. For fear of losing the territory, and especially its wealth, France finally granted it to the French in 1794. Although only temporarily...

Volume II discusses the constitution of Haiti, which he proclaimed in 1801. This was followed by the reestablishment of slavery the following year. Napoleon sent an expeditionary force to put an end to emancipation. "Toussaint Louverture was captured in 1802 in exchange for a general amnesty and a new abolition of slavery. But it was a decoy. When he died, the struggle resumed."

As with the barbets on the other side of the world, the balance of power is disproportionate. But the slaves don't give up, and nature (synonym: yellow fever) finishes the job.

"It was one of the greatest defeats of the Napoleonic army. Of the 40,000 men who initially left, to which reinforcements were added, only 10,000 returned to France," says Marie-Christine Stigset, recalling that this was the only slave colony where the revolt succeeded.

Independence was proclaimed in 1804. Saint-Domingue became Haiti, the world's first black republic. It was short-lived, again. A few months later, Toussaint Louverture's second-in-command proclaimed himself emperor... Despite the difficulties, the country was nevertheless rebuilt.

Sad anniversary

In 1825, Haiti demanded recognition of its independence. France agreed in exchange for an "astronomical ransom." Charles X demanded that it pay him 150 million gold francs (around 700 million euros) to compensate the former colonists. "All the money that should have been spent on infrastructure, trade, education, and health care disappeared." The result was economic, political, and ecological destruction.

A quick calculation will show that the theme is decidedly topical. 2025 marks the bicentennial of the unprecedented "double debt" imposed by France on its former colony. As part of this anniversary, President Macron announced the creation of a Franco-Haitian commission of historians tasked with studying the impact of this heavy toll on the island.

Mission accomplished for Marie-Christine Stigset: her story still flirts with History.