Édouard Glissant (1928–2011) was a Martinican poet, playwright, critic, essayist, and novelist who is recognized as one of the most important writers and thinkers in the French and Francophone world. Several of his novels and essays have been published in English, including The Fourth Century (Bison Books, 2001), The Overseer’s Cabin (Bison Books, 2011), and Poetics of Relation. Betsy Wing’s previous translations include Glissant’s The Fourth Century, The Overseer’s Cabin, Poetics of Relation, and Black Salt, among the works of many other writers.