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Bernard Diederich

Bernard Diederich, dean of Haitian press who devoted life to telling Haiti’s story, dies

Source: MiamiHerald.com

He was so enamored with Haiti that he wrote several books about the country and its repressive politics, built his first home in the capital and was honored with the dedication in “The Comedians,” one of the most famous novels ever written about the place.

Bernard “Bernie” Diederich, a New Zealand-born journalist, photographer, author and historian who fell in love with Haiti after landing here on his boat more than five decades ago — and became a witness to many historical events in the country as well as the rest of the Caribbean and Latin America — died Tuesday of natural causes, his son JB Diederich told the Miami Herald. He was 93.

“My father is not to be mourned, but to be celebrated,” the younger Diederich, 56, said. “He lived his life on his terms and died in his own home in my mom’s arms, the love of his life….He lived an amazing life.”