The local and the universal come together in these 37 short stories, brought into English by 37 different translators from all over the world.
The result gives readers a flavour of the fresh new writing coming out of Quebec—and a reminder that there are at least 37 different ways to translate an author’s voice.
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Fun, provocative, heart-wrenching short stories
Translated by all kinds of translators, from all over the world
Different approaches show there’s no “correct” translation
Finalist, 2018 ReLit Awards
Written by Véronique Côté and Steve Gagnon
Translated by Anissa Bachan, Melissa Bull, Peter Bush, Lisa Carter, Allison M. Charette, Kathryn Gabinet-Kroo, Farrah Gillani, Daniel Grenier, Benjamin Hedley, Natalia Hero, Cassidy Hildebrand, Aleshia Jensen, Pierre-Luc Landry, G. Lefebvre, Tony Malone, Anna Matthews, Riteba McCallum, Peter McCambridge, Felicia Mihali, Jessica Moore, Tom Moore, Guillaume Morissette, Rhonda Mullins, Jean-Paul Murray, Dimitri Nasrallah, Marie-Claude Plourde, Lori Saint-Martin, Ros Schwartz, Jacob Siefring, Neil Smith, Pablo Strauss, J.C. Sutcliffe, Michèle Thibeau, Carly Rosalie Vandergriendt, David Warriner, Elizabeth West, Emily Wilson
235 pages • 9781771861090 • 8″ x 5″
FICTION / Literary, SHORT STORIES
$19.95
AVAILABLE IN ALL FORMATS
Publication Date: September 1, 2017
PRAISE FOR I NEVER TALK ABOUT IT
“stimulating, emotional, and provocative reading.” (Miramichi Reader)
“There’s a lot of energy here … the short form and the rapid progression of the storytelling keeps you reading. This was a fascinating project and one that really made me think.” (The Indextrious Reader blog)
“even more daring and innovative than QC’s usual output … these are wonderful snapshots that reveal a whole life of a spectrum of individual types” (Simon Lavery, Tredynas Days blog)
“Unique and daring … further evidence of this ambitious young publisher’s determination to offer Canadian and international audiences original, exciting new work from Quebec.” (Joseph Schreiber, Rough Ghosts)
“deeply moving … honest and raw … Let me end by just recommending this collection for its unique take on the nature of translation by providing some excellent, brief but powerful stories and some thoughtful, stimulating translators’ insights.” (Simon Lavery, Tredynas Days blog)
“This offbeat collection of stories provides insights into the process of translation, raising the question of how one can truthfully replicate the stories of complex characters.” (Thomas H. Brennan, Foreword Reviews)
“These stories are strong. Taken on their own, they are moving and thought-provoking; the writing raw, direct … each beautiful in its starkness.” (Anita Anand, Montreal Review of Books)
“an intriguing experiment … bringing the practice of translation out of the shadows and calling attention to its variants and nuances.” (Steven Beattie, Quill & Quire)
“This is a book that pushes the boundaries even further than the original… The English-language edition is almost an interpretation rather than your usual straight translation.” (Tony Malone, Tony’s Reading List)
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Véronique Côté is an actress, director, and author. She was a finalist for the Governor General’s award in 2013.
Steve Gagnon is an actor, director, and author. His play La montagne rouge (SANG) was a finalist for the Governor General’s award in 2011.
ABOUT THE TRANSLATORS
We asked each translator to pick an adverb to describe their approach…
Adeptly translated by Kathryn Gabinet-Kroo • Affectionately translated by Anissa Bachan • Agonizingly translated by Emily Wilson • Ambidextrously translated by Dimitri Nasrallah • Approximately translated by Pierre-Luc Landry • Carefully translated by Pablo Strauss • Competently translated by Riteba McCallum • Conscientiously translated by Michèle Thibeau • Curiously translated by David Warriner • Diligently translated by Aleshia Jensen • Effectively translated by Cassidy Hildebrand • Elegantly translated by Carly Rosalie Vandergriendt • Empathetically translated by Melissa Bull • Enthusiastically translated by Benjamin Hedley • Erratically translated by J.C. Sutcliffe • Eventually translated by G. Lefebvre • Familiarly translated by Jacob Siefring • Fervently translated by Natalia Hero • Fluidly translated by Jean-Paul Murray • Frantically translated by Rhonda Mullins • Genuinely translated by Felicia Mihali • Gingerly translated by Jessica Moore • Inerrantly translated by Marie-Claude Plourde • Instinctively translated by Peter McCambridge • Intently translated by Anna Matthews • Intuitively translated by Lisa Carter • (ir)reverently translated by Ros Schwartz • Muscularly translated by Daniel Grenier • Nervously translated by Guillaume Morissette • Racily translated by Peter Bush • Reasonably translated by Farrah Gillani • Sensitively translated by Lori Saint-Martin • Thoughtfully translated by Elizabeth West • Tremblingly translated by Tony Malone • Unassumingly translated by Tom Moore • Unprudishly translated by Allison M. Charette • Violently translated by Neil Smith
TRANSLATOR PROFILES
This project aims to show there are all kinds of ways to bring across an author’s voice in translation… at least 37 of them! Translators include literary translation students, first-time and up-and-coming literary translators, world-renowned translators who have won major international prizes, some of Montreal’s best writers and translators, a retired high-school French teacher in Ireland, and francophone authors translating into their second language. There are even people in there who (armed only with a dictionary and the priceless ability to write a beautiful sentence) barely speak French.
JUST ONE TRANSLATOR’S APPROACH
“Since French is a (distant) third language for me, I decided to approach this translation as intuitively as possible. I didn’t want to get caught up in dictionaries, puzzle through grammar and vocabulary, and in so doing lose the sense of the story and the sound of the words. I spoke each line aloud and then tried to repeat that in an English that felt as if it matched the original. Only after that first draft did I check whether I had misinterpreted any vocabulary or verb tenses, and fix whatever I had gotten wrong. For the next few drafts, I again relied on my ear to polish the English.”
– Lisa Carter on her first literary translation from French into English
OUR COMMITMENT TO DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY
✓ A different translator for each story
✓ First-time translators hold their own alongside seasoned award-winners
✓ Readers don’t find out the translator’s name until they’ve absorbed their work, with translators explaining their background and approach at the end
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