Kelly: Bringing Anglo Authors at Book Fair is no threat to French

Any time someone tries to bring together the two solitudes here, I think that Olivier Gougeon's philosophy too.

He is the new executive director of the Montreal Book Fair, one of the largest francophone book fairs in the world, and is the man behind the initiative to invite English-language Quebec publishers to the event for the first time in over a decade .

What's not to like right? Kelly Norah Drukker, biographer Helen Antoniou, and novelist Joel Yanofsky. It will also promote the work of Montreal indie publishers like Vehicle Press, McGill-Queen's University Press, Linda Leith Publishing, and Metatron.

But given that it's happening here in Quebec, this is somebody who believes inviting English-speaking authors to this mostly french book fair is somehow a threat to the future health of the French language.

Nationalist The Journal of Montreal columnist Mathieu Bock-Côté had a sarcastic tweet in response to the late October that the 41^st annual Book Fair, which runs Wednesday through Sunday, would have a booth celebrating English-language Quebec literature.

"Here! Just what we were missing! That the Book Fair would actively participate in the Anglicization of Montreal !!! Many thanks to the great innovators who came up with this brilliant idea! "

Radio-Canada piece on the initiative.

One reader wrote to say: "Why? How about going to Toronto or showcasing francophone books and see what kind of reaction you get. "

Another suggested this proved that Quebec was in the process of becoming Louisiana.

Gougeon is well aware that some French speakers are critical of his decision to open the doors of the Book Fair to English speakers and publishers.

"Yes there are people who think that we are in the process of letting loose the pigeons and this is a mistake," said Gougeon.

"People have been writing to us to say that. Our response is that our goal is to reinforce the francophone character of the event. That's why we can invite the English-language publishers from here. Because we are a strong French speaking event. I have the opportunity to read English and I read in French. That's a richness. Why does it only have a threat? Sure there's a threat. We want to take care of our language. Yes we have to protect the francophone character of Quebec. That's fundamental. But that does not mean we have to throw away the richness of that duality. I believe that it will be a positive for French speakers to discover these English-language publishers and I think that the English speakers who come to the Salon will discover French language literature. I think that kind of sharing is a positive. "

There is no equivalent to the Book Fair in Toronto. This is a huge event that attracts 100,000 people during its six-day run at Place Bonaventure.

The last time English-language Quebec publishers were represented at the Book Fair was in 2005. They did not return for the simple reason that they did not seem to make much of an impact at the giant franco event, said Anna Leventhal, executive director of the Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec (AELAQ). But when the organizers extended this year, the badociation and the Quebec Writers' Federation (QWF) figured it was worth another try.

The English books will be showcased under the banner Get Lit! Brilliant Books from Quebec. There will be a reception at 6 pm Thursday with many of the finalists from this year's Quebec Writers' Federation Awards from their work. On Saturday at 5:30 AM, there is what they're calling Great Slam !, with translators along with Drukker and Pierre Nepveu talking about the world of translation.

The same day at 7:15, it's Rapid-Fire Readings, Ricochet Writing, with 25 authors reading from their work and creating a collective work on the spot. Participants include novelists Sylvain Neuvel, Louise Carson, Ariela Freedman, and Yanofsky. Family Affair: Writers in Conversation takes place Sunday at 5 p.m. They are: Eric Dupont, whose novel Songs for the Cold Heart is shortlisted for the Giller Prize; Antoniou, who wrote a biography of his father-in-law, Eric Molson; and Dimitri Nasrallah, whose novel The Bleeds is about a family in an un-named Middle Eastern country.

It all sounds super interesting and I would venture to guess that when the Salon wraps Sunday night, the French language will still be alive and well here in Quebec.

Tea Book Fair runs Wednesday to Sunday. For more information, visit salondulivredemontreal.com.

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