BRINGING ANGLO AUTHORS TO SALON IS NOT A THREAT
Any time someone tries to bring together the two solitudes ici, I tend to think of it as a good thing, and that seems to be Olivier Gougeon’s philosophy too. He is the new executive director of the Salon du livre de Montréal, one of the largest francophone book fairs in the world, and is the man behind the initiative to invite English-language Quebec publishers to the event for the first time in over a decade. What’s not to like, right? The salon will showcase events with local anglo authors like poet Kelly Norah Drukker, biographer Helen Antoniou, and novelist Joel Yanofsky. It will also promote the good work of Montreal indie publishers like Véhicule Press, McGill- Queen’s University Press, Linda Leith Publishing, and Metatron. But given that it’s happening here in Quebec, of course there are some who believe inviting anglophone authors to this mostly franco book fair is somehow a threat to the future health of the French language. Nationalist Le Journal de Montréal columnist Mathieu Bock-Côté had a sarcastic tweet in response to the news in late October that the 41st-annual Salon du livre, which runs Wednesday through Sunday, would have a stand celebrating English-language Quebec literature. “Voilà! Just what we were missing! That the Salon du livre would actively participate in the anglicization of Montreal!!! Many thanks to the great innovators who came up with this brilliant idea!” There were similar comments online below a Radio-Canada piece on the initiative. One reader wrote to say: “Why? How about going to Ontario or more precisely Toronto and showcasing francophone books and see what kind of reaction you get.” Gougeon is well aware that some francophones are critical of his decision to open the doors of the Salon du livre to anglophone authors and publishers. “Yes, there are people that think that we’re in the process of letting the cat loose among the pigeons and that this little opening we are giving to anglophone literature at the Salon du livre of Montreal is a mistake,” said Gougeon. “People have been writing to us to say that. Our response is that our goal is to reinforce the francophone character of the event. That’s why we can invite the English-language publishers from here. Because we are a strong francophone event. I have the opportunity as a Montrealer to read in English and I read in French. That’s a richness. Why see it only as a threat? Sure, there’s a threat. Sure, we have to take care of our language. Yes, we have to protect the francophone character of Quebec. That’s fundamental. But that doesn’t mean we have to throw away the richness of that duality. I believe that it will be a positive for francophones to discover these English-language publishers, and I think that the anglophones who come to the Salon will discover francophone literature. I think that kind of sharing is a positive.” There is no equivalent to the Salon du livre in Toronto. This is a huge event that attracts 100,000 people during its six-day run at Place Bonaventure. The last time English-language Quebec publishers were represented at the Salon du livre was in 2005. They didn’t return for the simple reason that they didn’t seem to make much of an impact at the giant franco event, said Anna Leventhal, executive director of the Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec (AELAQ). But when the organizers extended an olive branch this year, the association and the Quebec Writers’ Federation (QWF) figured it was worth another try. The English books will be showcased under the banner Get Lit! Brilliant Books from Quebec. There will be a reception at 6 p.m. Thursday with many of the finalists from this year’s Quebec Writers’ Federation Awards reading from their work. On Saturday at 5:30 p.m., there is what they’re calling Grand Slam!, with translators along with poets Drukker and Pierre Nepveu talking about the world of translation. The same day at 7:15 p.m., it’s Rapid-Fire Readings, Ricochet Writing, with 25 authors reading from their work and then creating a collective work on the spot. Participants include novelists Sylvain Neuvel, Louise Carson, Ariela Freedman, and Yanofsky. Family Affair: Writers in Conversation takes place Sunday at 5 p.m., with three writers who’ve penned family stories talking about that concept. They are: Éric Dupont, whose novel Songs for the Cold of Heart is shortlisted for the Giller Prize; Antoniou, who wrote a biography of her father-in-law, Eric Molson; and Dimitri Nasrallah, whose novel The Bleeds is about a family in an unnamed Middle Eastern country. It all sounds super-interesting and I would venture to guess that when the Salon wraps Sunday night, the French language will still be alive and well here in Quebec. The Salon du livre runs Wednesday to Sunday. For more information, visit salondulivredemontreal.com.