CONVERSATIONS WITH THE PAST: THE HISTORICAL NOVEL “OPERATION PEREJIL” HISTORY OF SCARS

Abstract

In 1937 the Dominican dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo launched a fierce persecution of the Haitian population living in the borderlands with Haiti. The so called Parsley Massacre took place by the “Massacre” river, which is a natural border between both countries. This historical event has left deep scars in the collective imaginary not only in the island but also in other places where the diaspora went together with the ghosts of the victims. This study is an analysis of this historical event, which has been denounced by some and hidden by others. We found an important corpus, which demonstrates the international repercussion of the event. We study Caribbean essays, literary works in Spanish, English, French and “Créole” and journalistic articles. As it is very well known, the island is inhabited by two nationalities, two languages, two very dissimilar cultures that share a history of ancient differences originating innumerable controversies and still open wounds.