The Immaculate Conception
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| First edition cover | |
| Author | Gaétan Soucy |
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| Original title (if not in English) | L'Immaculée conception |
| Translator | Lazer Lederhendler |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English translation of original French |
| Genre(s) | Psychological novel |
| Publisher | House of Anansi Press |
| Released | April 28, 2006 |
| Media Type | Paperback |
| Pages | 320 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0887847366 |
- This article is about the novel by Gaétan Soucy. For the Christian dogma regarding the immaculate conception of Mary, Mother of Jesus, see Immaculate Conception.
The Immaculate Conception is the English translation by Lazer Lederhendler [1] of Gaétan Soucy's French novel, L'Immaculée conception, first published in 1994. [2] The novel was a finalist for the 2006 Canada Council for the Arts Governor General’s Literary Awards, [3] one of five books shortlisted for the 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize—Canada's largest annual prize for fiction [2]—and was also one of four novels nominated for the 2006 ReLit Awards. [4]
[edit] Author and translator
The author of several novels, Canadian Gaétan Soucy's first novel, L'Immaculée conception, received rave reviews—both in Quebec and abroad—and established him "as a powerful new literary force in Quebec". [2] Soucy studied physics at l’Université de Montréal, and took a Master's degree in philosophy at McGill University, where he also studied Japanese and literature. He lives and works in Montreal, Quebec. [2]
In addition to the 2006 Governor General’s Literary Awards, Lazer Lederhendler is the translator of two other books nominated for the award. The Sparrow Has Cut The Day In Half, his French to English translation of Claire Dé's Bonheur, oiseau rare, [5] was one of the five nominees for the 1999 Governor General’s Literary Award for "Translation (French to English)", [6] and his translation of Pierre Tourangeau's Larry Volt [7] was one of the finalists for the same award in 2002. [8] He teaches English in Montreal. [2]
[edit] Plot introduction
The Immaculate Conception has been described as echoing "the writing of Edgar Allan Poe and Fyodor Dostoevsky" and illuminating the "sublime, the uncanny, and the horrific that burns at the core of ordinary lives". [9] Set in the mid-1920s in the isolated, working-class parish of Nativité in East-end Montreal, the novel chronicles the aftermath of a deadly fire—75 people die when a neighborhood restaurant is burned to the ground by an arsonist.
The cast of characters includes a pianist, mortician, bank clerk, a clubfooted schoolteacher, demonic fire chief, demented lumberjack, and the bank clerk's wheelchair-bound father. [1] [2] In spite of (or because of) the characters' oddities, they become nearly cartoon characters—extremely memorable stereotypes. [10] Chronicling the "ordinary" lives after the inferno, the story gradually reveals a series of horrific events from the clerk's childhood [10] and ultimately the reader is reminded that some crimes will forever remain secrets. [1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Soucy, Gaétan, translated from the French by Lederhendler, Lazer (2006-04-28). The Immaculate Conception. Toronto, Ontario: House of Anansi Press, 336. ISBN 0887847366.
- ^ a b c d e f Author Vincent Lam Wins the 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize. The Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006-11-07). Retrieved on 2006-12-01.
- ^ The Canada Council for the Arts announces finalists for the 2006 Governor General’s Literary Awards. News Releases - 2006. Canada Council for the Arts (2006-10-16). Retrieved on 2006-12-01.
- ^ 2006 Shortlists: Novel. The ReLit Awards (2006-05-31). Retrieved on 2006-12-01.
- ^ Dé, Claire, translated from the French by Lederhendler, Lazer (1998-01-15). The Sparrow Has Cut The Day In Half. Toronto, Ontario: Exile Editions, 148. ISBN 1550961500.
- ^ The Canada Council for the Arts Announces Nominees for the 1999 Governor General's Literary Awards. News Releases - <2000. Canada Council for the Arts (1999-10-19). Retrieved on 2006-12-01.
- ^ Tourangeau, Pierre, translated from the French by Lederhendler, Lazar (2001-10-01). Larry Volt. Montreal, Quebec: XYZ Publishing, 232. ISBN 0968816649.
- ^ The Canada Council for the Arts Announces Nominees for the 1999 Governor General's Literary Awards. News Releases - 2002. Canada Council for the Arts (2002-10-21). Retrieved on 2006-12-01.
- ^ The Canada Council for the Arts Announces Nominees for the 1999 Governor General's Literary Awards. The Immaculate Conception. House of Anansi Press. Retrieved on 2006-12-01.
- ^ a b Zwarenstein, Carlyn. Justifiable force: If a writer's going to hit you in the gut, they'd better have a good reason. book lounge reviews: fiction. www.rabble.ca, © Zwarenstein, Carlyn. Retrieved on 2006-12-01.
