Harold Courlander
| Harold Courlander | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 18, 1908 Indianapolis, Indiana, United States |
| Died | March 15, 1996 (aged 87) United States |
| Occupation | Novelist, folklorist, anthropologist |
| Language | English |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Genre | Folklore, non-fiction, fiction |
Harold Courlander (September 18, 1908 – March 15, 1996) was an American novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist, an expert in the study of Haitian life. The author of 35 books and plays and numerous scholarly articles, Courlander specialized in the study of African, Caribbean, Afro-American (U.S.), and Native American cultures. He took a special interest in oral literature, cults, and Afro-American cultural connections with Africa.
Courlander was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, the son of noted American painter,David Courlander of Detroit, Michigan. Courlander received a B.A. in English from the University of Michigan in 1931. At the University of Michigan, he received three Avery Hopwood Awards (one in drama and two in literary criticism). He attended graduate school at the University of Michigan and Columbia University. He spent time in the 1930s on a farm in Romeo, Michigan. There, he built a one-room log cabin in the woods where he spent much of his time writing.
With the prize money from the Hopwood Awards, Courlander took his first field trip to Haiti, inspired by the writings of William Buehler Seabrook. In 1939, he published his first book about Haitian life entitled Haiti Singing. Over the next 30 years, he traveled to Haiti more than 20 times. His research focused on religious practices, African retentions, oral traditions, folklore, music, and dance. His book, The Drum and the Hoe: Life and Lore of the Haitian People, published in 1960, became a classic text for the study of Haitian culture.
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