The Kingdom Of This World

The Kingdom of This World, written by Alejo Carpentier and originally published in 1949, traces events in 20th-century Haiti, beginning in the French colonial period and spanning the lifetime of protagonist Ti Noël. This novella is a work of dark magical realism and tells the story of two attempted rebellions against the French, the eventual reign of King Henri Christophe, the nation’s first Black king, and his downfall. Through Ti Noël’s perspective, the novella shows the human costs of slavery (under white and Black enslavers), as well as the hopes and beliefs of Africans and people of African descent living in Haiti during these regime changes; it explores themes of Catholicism Versus Vodou, Racial Violence Under Enslavement, and The Power of Nature.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide contain references to enslavement, rape, suicide, and violence.

Plot Summary

Ti Noël is an enslaved Haitian on the plantation of Monsieur Lenormand de Mézy. He resents Lenormand de Mézy and wishes to see him dead. A fellow enslaved man, Macandal, tells Ti Noël tales of Vodou loas (spirits or gods), inspiring him. After losing his arm in a cane mill, Macandal gains Vodou powers and endeavors to exterminate the white inhabitants of Haiti through mass poisoning. Ti Noël and countless others assist him. When Macandal is found out, he disappears, transforming into animals and staying hidden—except to his followers. Eventually, he is burned at the stake, but his vision lives on.

Twenty years later, another revolutionary enslaved man named Bouckman the Jamaican encourages another revolution: This time, enslaved workers storm the homes of the enslavers directly. However, after much violence and rape, the revolution fails. In the chaos, Lenormand de Mézy takes Ti Noël to Cuba. Lenormand de Mézy gambles away his money and enjoys the carnival atmosphere while events in Haiti escalate. Pauline Bonaparte, a relative of the famous Napoleon Bonaparte, arrives in Haiti expecting a life of leisure. However, as she and others witness the continuing spread of disease, Pauline begins praying to the loas before returning to France.

Ti Noël is given away as part of a gamble and receives money from his new Spanish enslaver. He saves up and buys his way to Haiti, where he finds himself in the kingdom of King Henri Christophe. He is forced into enslavement and finds it more reprehensible to be mistreated by a Black king. When Christophe falls ill, his subjects plan their revolt. Christophe dies by suicide, and his palace is looted. His wife and daughters go to live in Rome, where their Blackness is a novelty.

Meanwhile, Ti Noël returns to the Lenormand de Mézy plantation and takes up residence, pretending to be a king. He wears Christophe’s robe, gives out titles, and holds balls. However, surveyors of multiracial heritage come from Port-au-Prince and enslave the population once again. Ti Noël, frustrated, develops the power of transfiguration and attempts to hide among geese, but they reject him. He ultimately learns it is his duty to struggle against injustice in the mortal world. Just as he makes a declaration of war, he is killed by a wave.