On Thursday, November 28 in room 2322 of the University of Saint-Boniface, the 7th edition of the Gabrielle-Roy dictation will be held. After two years of absence, it took the return of Sébastien Gaillard to the general management of Maison Gabrielle-Roy for dictation to also make its return.
It's an idea that Sébastien Gaillard brought back from France, where he was reader and proofreader of the two editions of the dictation of Michel Butor, French poet and novelist. At the time, Michel Butor made a remark which still accompanies Sébastien Gaillard today.
“Everyone makes spelling mistakes,” he said. And the general director of Maison Gabrielle-Roy has not forgotten it.
“If we do a dictation, it is to celebrate the language and to have fun with the language. If we no longer have fun with a language, it becomes a dead language. When I arrived in Manitoba, I tried to do that again, with Gabrielle Roy. »
Convinced that setting up a dictation could generate enthusiasm, the idea came to fruition and the objectives were multiple. First of all, to reconcile the world with this exercise which has traumatized more than one, but also to promote the texts of Gabrielle Roy, and more broadly, Franco-Manitoban culture beyond the borders of the Province.
“If the dictation is read here on USB, it is transmitted across the Americas. At the moment, three alliances are participating. Chicago, Montreal and Edmonton. We also have branches in Peru, Mexico and two or three others in South America. » In the past, the number of branches has sometimes exceeded twenty, but this year, Sébastien Gaillard suffered from a slight lack of time.
A slightly special recipe this year
During each of the previous editions, the winners systematically received the complete works of Gabriel Roy, this year things are a little different.
“This year, we partnered with Éditions du Blé to celebrate their fiftieth anniversary. They were the ones who came and offered to give us a dictation. »
Consequently, this year, the text will not be drawn from the works of Gabrielle Roy. The author remains Franco-Manitoban, but this time it will be Lise Gaboury-Diallo. “Gabrielle’s succession”, as Sébastien Gaillard presents it.
“We chose the book Distant. I won’t specify which extract it is, however,” he laughs. “It’s a collection by Lise which was published in 2016 and again the choice is relevant because Distant is a book that I really like because
that it talks a little about Canada, but a lot about Africa and it is the author's trip to Africa and I think it can resonate here in Manitoba, given that we have a lot of Afro-descendants in the French-speaking world. We found it interesting to embrace French-speaking diversity. »
As for the reward, this year's best editors can expect a complete collection of works from Éditions du Blé. “Between 15 and 20 pounds,” estimates Sébastien Gaillard.
Above all, no competition
When we talk about “winners”, the general director of Maison Gabrielle-Roy seems to grind his teeth a little.
For him, the event should not be seen as any kind of competition. “We need a first, a second and a third, but we don’t want that at all. It's a party, everyone wins. The most fun this is when people exchange their copies during corrections. The atmosphere is great. ” THE winners will therefore be drawn at random.
And, he emphasizes it himself, he will never repeat it enough, but “everyone makes mistakes”. “It’s like that, I don’t see why that would put us off regarding language, on the contrary. » All ages are welcome to participate in the event.
To be able to follow the dictation, and try to win a prize, you must register in advance on Eventbrite (1). Please note that registration and participation are completely free.
For people who participate and reside outside the Province, they must ensure that they keep their copy in order to provide proof of their participation.
(1) https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/la-dictee-gabrielle-roy-7eme-edition-tickets-1028926194947
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