The Word became flesh in books on Corpus Christi Day. In a vibrant atmosphere, the El Rancho Convention Center hosted the 32nd edition of Livres en folie on Thursday, June 4. For this major celebration of books, which honored renowned Haitian writer René Depestre, 114 authors were present to sign their works, and 1,100 titles were available. At 6 p.m., readers were still collecting copies of books from the C3 Éditions counter.

It was almost noon when we arrived at the El Rancho Convention Center in Pétion-Ville after enduring endless traffic jams along the Bourdon road. Reaching Pétion-Ville and witnessing the country’s largest book fair required a long and arduous bus ride. But it was worth the effort. In this context of widespread crisis, the event offered a moment to smile, a brief moment to let hope breathe.