Kettly Mars is a Haitian novelist and poet who was born in Port-au-Prince in 1958, one year after the ascent to power of François Duvalier, who would rule the country for the next 14 years. Her work confronts some of the most difficult issues present in Haitian society, from the complicated dynamics that exist between a dictatorship’s adherents and its victims, the gulf between rural and urban society and the exploitation of the most vulnerable in the wake of catastrophes, both natural and man-made. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Prix Senghor and the Prince Claus Award. We spoke on Notes from the World about her writing, Haiti’s political and artistic travails and the role that the country’s literary tradition has played and continues to play in its history.