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
The Known World by Edward P. Jones landed on my TBR when I heard him interviewed by Eleanor Wachtel on “Writers & Company”. More than twenty years ago. But Jones was recently named for The Paris Review’s Hadada Award (nominated, received), and I determined this spring would see it
