La Sagouine - Softcover

Maillet, Antonine

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0864928688 ISBN 13: 9780864928689

Publisher: Goose Lane Editions, 2015

Synopsis

The premise is deceptively simple: a dirt-poor charwoman and former prostitute leans on her mop and tells her life story. But what a story! As she reminisces and rants, telling stories about herself, her friends and neighbours, the priest and his church, and every other aspect of life in her village, she is actually telling the story of Acadie.

More than 30 years after its first publication in English, and five years since Wayne Grady completed this new translation, La Sagouine is available in this new, updated edition. Faithfully interpreting Antonine Maillet's distinctive text, Wayne Grady brings out the cultural richness of the language as well as La Sagouine's strength of character and irrepressible humour.

La Sagouine launched the careers of both Antonine Maillet and the actress Viola Léger. With sales of over 100,000 copies, it brought the existence of Acadian literature to a wide and admiring audience.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

"You see a descendant of one of your own ancestors and you say, Hi, there, Pit-à-Thomas-à-Picoté, how's it going, eh? Then you see someone across the room looks just like you do, and who's speaking like it's you who's talking, and who has the same job as you, and who wouldn't look down her nose at you just because you're a cleaning lady who's never done nothing much and never been nowhere."

The old woman speaks in a voice rough with the stuff of life. She's never done nothing much and never been nowhere, but the stories she tells fill a world. In her younger days, she traded favours with sailors to make ends meet; now she wears her body down scrubbing floors. She rants and reminisces, telling stories about herself, her friends and neighbours, the priest and his church, and every other aspect of of life in her village. Bawdy and tenacious, sharp-tongued and warm-hearted, la Sagouine's voice is the irrepressible voice of Acadie.

With La Sagouine, Antonine Maillet brought Acadian literature to the world's notice. Since then, Maillet has been awarded the Prix Goncourt (the first non-French citizen to be so honoured) and the Governor General's Award for her novels Pélagie-la-charette and Don l'Orignal.

About the Author:

Antonine Maillet is one of Canada's best-known writers. Among her many honours are the Prix Goncourt, which she received for her novel Pélagie-la-charette, the first non-French citizen to do so, and the Governor General's Award for fiction for Don L'Orignal, both available in translation from Goose Lane Editions. Wayne Grady has translated eight novels and edited six anthologies of short stories. He won the Governor General's Award for his translation of On the Eighth Day by Antonine Maillet and was nominated for the 2005 Governor General's Award for his translation of Francine D'Amour's Return from Africa.

About this edition

• Publisher: Goose Lane Editions
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0864928688
• ISBN 13: 9780864928689
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 142