Stanstead. The library and Haskell Opera Salle may be likely to return to the heart of international news thanks to the author Louise Penny. Two launches of his 20th book are scheduled for next November, which should attract a total of 800 people, both Canadian and Americans.
This Lac-Brome resident has already given a sum of $ 50,000 to this organization in order to finance part of the work to develop a gateway to the Canadian side. This fundraising campaign totaled more than $ 260,000 thanks to 2,700 donors, when writing these lines.
This craze comes from the decision of the American authorities to restrict access to this centennial building for Canadians, who were to tread a sidewalk in Vermont to access Haskell. They must now use a rear door to borrow a book or attend a show.
Met in Lac-Brome, Ms. Penny said she was very satisfied to have contributed to this momentum of generosity and solidarity. “It is very important for me to give for this cause that is close to my heart,” she says. We do not tackle a library and it is also a way for me to thank my Canadian and American readers who have supported me for over 20 years. »»
His commitment is also explained by his frustration with regard to President Trump, who started a trade war with the planet, in addition to threatening Canada annexing to the United States. She also refuses to go to American soil as a protest.
Two launches in Stanstead
It will therefore be the first time that she has excluded the United States to launch one of her books. She canceled her literary event at the Kennedy Center in Washington because of the geopolitical context and Donald Trump who has appointed president of this prestigious cultural institution.
-“This place is important to me,” she says. It was also an opportunity to top 20 years of career with my team. I was very excited, but the cancellation was still an obvious decision to take, because the recent American positions hurt me enormously. »»
The Haskell Library and Opera Hall will conclude the Canadian tour of the launch of the 20th Book of Mrs. Penny, entitled “Le Loup Noir”. Two dates are already planned, on Saturday November 1 (4 p.m.) and Sunday, November 2 (2 p.m.). Tickets of US $ 40, including a headquarters and a work autographed, have been on sale since last Tuesday (April 15). Additional information on the Haskell website.
The launches in Stanstead are likely to draw attention with these 800 people to the opera room. Ms. Penny wishes to bring together citizens of the two countries for the official release of her book, but also to celebrate decades of friendship between two communities. “It will be the only literary event of my tour to bring together Canadians and Americans,” she rejoices.
These two events will follow a major Canadian launch which will be held at the National Ottawa Arts Center on October 28. All tickets have already been sold in one hour for this launch in the national capital. Tickets are also likely to fly to Stanstead quickly.
This tour was planned before the arrival of US President Donald Trump. Haskell’s choice won in the eyes of Louise Penny, because scenes from her next thriller take place inside the building erected straddling the Canadian-American border.
As a bonus, the main character of his books, Armand Gamache, investigates the authorities who decide that Canada must become the 51st state of the United States. “By writing this story, I told myself that I was perhaps going too far, but I hope that reality will not make up for fiction,” ends the one that specifies that this book has been written for a year.
