The Quebec Anthology, 1830-1990

Marguerite Andersen is a professor of French studies at the University
of Guelph.

This anthology of 33 Quebec short stories allows for a comparative study
of the development of the short story over 160 years. It also allows for
an analysis of Canadian styles of translation: 11 translators—among
them Matt Cohen, Wayne Grady, and Sheila Fishman—are represented.

The book opens with a critical introduction to the genre. Here we learn
that Quebec produced its own short stories as early as 1837, well before
Guy de Maupassant published “Boule de Suif” in 1880. Cohen and Grady
unfortunately fail to explain the difference between le conte and la
nouvelle, but they do offer some interesting insights into the history
of translation of Quebec literature. Each story is preceded by an
introduction containing a biography of the author and an analysis of the
story’s place in Quebec literature.

Despite the regrettable absence of such writers as Madeleine Ferron,
Marie-Claire Blais, and France Théoret, this well-edited volume will no
doubt further English-Canadian understanding of Quebec’s literature.