“Update about My Forthcoming Book on Jean-Bertrand Aristide”

My publisher (Fortress Academic) just informed me that my book on Jean-Bertrand Aristide (“Aristide: A Political and Theological Introduction”) will not be published as an e-book unless I can get permission from Aristide himself. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to get a hold of Aristide and a reply from him. She noted that my book will be published as a hardcover, then as a paperback in two years. I do not know the publication date yet. I will let you know when the publisher tells me.

When we contacted the French publisher, Editions du Seuil, that published the original texts of Aristide in question, the editor informed us that Editions du Seuil does not have the legal rights to give permission to republish electronically excerpts from Aristide’s texts in my new book. (It is actually one book: Dignité, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Christophe Wargny, Editions du Seuil, 1994; English translation: Dignity. Jean-Bertrand Aristide (1996). Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press). The legal right of this particular text is reserved to the author: Dr. Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

***I received this response after a three-month process of going back and forth requesting permission from publishers to reprint materials in my forthcoming book on Aristide. Interestingly, I finished writing the first draft of this intellectual biography (“Aristide: A Political and Theological Introduction”) on Aristide four years ago.