MAGAZINE. Autumn was more than abundant for authors in the region. All kinds of books have recently appeared. Here are some titles that caught the attention of L’Express.
The legacy of an amateur philosopher
It was in 2008 that the philosophy teacher at Cégep de Drummondville, Dominic Fontaine-Lasnier, discovered François Hertel. His curiosity is immediately piqued. “I tell myself that it’s a phenomenon. In the midst of the Great Darkness, there is a being who is laughing and light. How come I’ve never heard of it? He is a completely fascinating character who left his mark on people we know, but he is forgotten,” he observes.
Eccentric philosopher, poet in exile, François Hertel (1905-1985) was one of the most fervent free spirits that Quebec knew before the Quiet Revolution. The latter has published around forty works in varied styles (poetry, novels, essays, theater, stories) which are no longer available in bookstores.
In The legacy of an amateur philosopherDominic Fontaine-Lasnier aims to find traces of the philosopher’s influence in today’s intellectual and cultural Quebec.
First of all, the author presents the history and thoughts of François Hertel. Then, Dominic Fontaine-Lasnier tells his relationship with the philosopher through a fictional auto part. The reading continues with an interview with Guylaine Massoutre.
“She is the only one to my knowledge who did a doctoral thesis on Hertel. She knew him personally in Paris in 1978. She met him every week for almost two years. I had the privilege of speaking with Guylaine Massoutre by email for two years,” he says.
Finally, the author offers a collection of aphorisms signed by the pen of François Hertel.
Hats, mittens and chills – The Horrible Neighborhood
Drummondvillois Caroline Doyon and Éric Blanchard are back with the second volume of the youth series The horrible neighborhoodtitled Hats, mittens and shivers. The authors imagined from scratch a neighborhood where residents celebrate Halloween all year round. “Our friend Ray, the main character, hates Halloween. He doesn’t want to go there. He thinks his parents are exaggerating. He has no choice but to move. He becomes friends with his neighbor,” says the author.
The characters experience all kinds of adventures. Over time, they encounter supernatural beings. “In our books, we wanted to introduce young people to creatures that are less known. For example, it’s a windigo in the first volume,” she explains, specifying that it is a monster which belongs to the spiritual tradition of the First Nations.
This time, a mysterious winter creature appears on the streets.
The series is aimed at an audience aged 8 to 13. The illustrations in the book were also created by Caroline Doyon, a painter in her spare time.
Note that the author has also published a horror novel for adults, The Violin of the Damned.
Footprints
In his first book, Happiness like a melodyThérèse Lemieux Houle presented some anecdotes from her life. In his second, Right on the edge of the worldreaders followed her through her travels. For his third novel, Footprintsthe Drummondville author offers the wishes and reflections that guided her in her life, a gesture of love that she leaves as a legacy.
“It is my spiritual testament, nothing more, nothing less. In this book, I reveal myself in what I am, in what I love and in what I experience. I like to tell what I experienced. I am now 92 years and a few months old. I have a pretty busy past.”
“I have had four children who have difficulties. The first died at birth. He was disabled. I have two others living who are visually impaired. They are university graduates. It is not because we experience difficulties that we are not capable of achieving something one day,” she adds.
As with her previous works, Thérèse Lemieux Houle is giving away a free copy of one of her books in exchange for a $20 donation for the Center for Social Pediatrics of Drummondville – Les petits bonheurs.
It’s a way for her to contribute to a cause that is close to her heart.
Music within your reach
Music teacher at the Marie-Rivier school and choir director at the Saint-Frédéric basilica, Nicolas Gagnon recently published a book devoted to the standards of musical notation. A few years ago, he was saddened to find that many musicians and music teachers were creating scores that he could not easily understand.
And yet, all the elements in a score play an important role in the transmission of musical language. “It is not enough to ask whether all the information is present, but to check whether it is easy to read and understand. We don’t want the musician to try to understand the score, we want him to play it without asking any questions so that he can quickly concentrate on his interpretation and its technical difficulties,” he says.
Nicolas Gagnon started writing the book Music within your reach in 2021. “I explain the standards of musical notation for various ensembles (big band, choir, harmony, lead sheet, orchestra) and for various styles or contexts (classical, jazz, pop, film music, studio recording ). Depending on their needs, the reader will be able to select the best approaches in the notation software of their choice (Dorico, Finale, Musescore, Sibelius, and others),” he explains.
Virginie – Fairy Lake
The author Tania Boulet published the second volume of the series with Éditions QuébecAmérique The fairy laketitled Virginia. Dream dresses, frills, balls: the life of a princess takes on a contemporary twist in this comedy imagined by the Drummondvilloise (which can be read independently of the previous one).
Here’s what readers can expect: “Virginie doesn’t feel appreciated by her mother who imposes her wishes on her. She often dreams of another life… but she would never have thought that an invented fairy could come to life or that she could be catapulted into the heart of an imaginary kingdom! Having become a member of the monarchy, Virginie finds herself confronted with even stricter conventions. The young girl must assert her values if she wants to carry out the mission entrusted to her.”
By juxtaposing the world of stories and the modern perspective of a current character, with his codes and his references, she brings together the imaginary and the real in a novel, which makes you smile and think. Beyond fantasy, the story addresses the issue of family conflicts, self-affirmation, and inequalities. An inspiring story that emphasizes the importance of following your passions and values friendship, regardless of social position.
