France discovering Winnipeg literature

Created in 1990 by the writer Michel Le Bris, the festival Amazing Travelers attracts 60,000 visitors to Brittany in Saint-Malo each year.

The event invites an average of 200 authors from all over the world to discuss current topics around screenings, meetings and debates.

On the program this year, among other things, ecology and the power of fiction in the current state of the world.

The writer Katherena Vermette is invited to the festival in France to come and present the new French translation of her book published in 2016 under the title The Break and, in 2017, in Quebec under the title The broken line.

According to Valentin Cueff, communications assistant, the festival has the idea that writers take a look at the world that is interesting and deserves to be heard. That’s why we bring a lot of people to Saint-Malo to talk about it.

” How telling stories can make us see the world differently or stimulate our imagination in a new way, bring a different perspective to the news. »

Michif writer Katherena Vermette is invited to the festival in France to come and present the new French translation of her book published in 2016 under the title The Break and, in 2017, in Quebec under the title The broken line.

the work by Katherena Vermette had not previously been distributed in France.

The new translation published in 2021 by the French publisher Albin Michel is called North End Women.

The writer Katherena Vermette specifies that it was the publisher Albin Michel who approached her for this new translation.

She worked with the two translators, Mélissa Verreault (Quebec) and Hélène Fournier (France).

Chronicle of a Canadian reality

Valentin Cueff who read this new translation tells the story. It takes place in Winnipeg in the North End district. The story centers around a tragedy experienced by an Aboriginal girl. The story shows how the women of the same family are built together around a tragedy. This is a book about resilience.

By inviting Katherena Vermette, the festival Amazing Travelers also has this ambition to make known a part of the history of Canada too often ignored in France.

Katherena Vermette will participate in a meeting on the issue of Aboriginal identities with another Ontario author. It’s a story of Canada that is not necessarily known in Francesays Valentin Cueff.

The French are not necessarily aware of the history of the Métis, of Louis Riel. All this history will be able to be told at the festival. We are very happy to be able to welcome indigenous authors to be able to discuss and testifyhe rejoices before indicating that this ties in with this theme on fiction.

According to Mr. Cueff, through stories, one can get to know the history of a country. It is finally to mix the personal history with the great history.

This is what Katherena Vermette’s book does. It tells the story of Canada through the story of this familyhe adds.

The writer says she was a little surprised that people wanted to translate her work.

When other countries asked me for my book and wanted to translate it, I didn’t understand why they were interested in my story, but I think it’s always interesting to discover places you don’t know . I like to read stories that take place in places I don’t know.

” People want to discover people who are not like them. »

Katherena Vermette does not wish to write about her own story. I write stories about my community and my city, because I think my city is very interesting and my community is really brilliantexplains the writer.

It’s a story based on reality, on things I know and have seenshe notes.

The story is about trauma. We all have traumas, but how we deal with them and everyone has a different response, says Katherena Vermette.

Amazing Travelers will stream recordings of literary cafés online at the end of the festival.