If Letty was invited to Christina Stead’s birthday party, preparations would be extensive. Clothing, accessories, the gift: everything would have to be “just so”. (Stead was born OTD in 1902; she died March 31, 1983.) When Letty needs to find an apartment in New York City, however, she makes
It was 2019, when last I wrote about Marie-Claire Blais here: about A Season in the Life of Emmanuel (Trans. Derek Coltman) for the #1965Club. It’s a skinny little novel, Emmanuel is a skinny little kid: it’s a powerful story about the forces that shape us, from family to
Anyone fond of linked narratives will warm to the idea that Québécois writer Marcel Tremblay has written these six Mont-Royal novels to illuminate the characters that regularly figure in his plays. In long-fiction, readers have a glimpse into their thoughts and feelings. We are not only witnessing dialogues and
But now for a summer book that I actually read out-of-season: I was entranced by Mireille Gagné’s Horsefly (2024), translated by Pablo Strauss the following year. (Published by Coach House in Canada, New Cross Press in England, La livre de Poche in France). It’s turned a few heads, and
The past couple of years I have enjoyed paying more attention to how the seasons change and how my own habits change accordingly—including reading habits, which absorb a significant amount of time over the course of my weeks, months, and years. For you as well, I'm sure. I’ve had
