Peter McCambridge’s translation of Rosa’s Very Own Personal Revolution brilliantly renders Eric Dupont’s vibrant literary universe and rollicking story of an innocent young woman from the Gaspé Peninsula catapulted into turn-of-the-millenium Montréal. This rare feat of literary translation is a seamless, highly readable and wonderfully inventive work in its own right.
WINNER — Governor General’s Literary Award for Translation
From village gossips, tealeaf-reading exotic dancers, and Acadian red herrings to soothsaying winkles and centuries-old curses, Rosa’s Very Own Personal Revolution is a delightful, boundary-pushing story about stories and the storytellers who make them – and a reminder that revolutions in Quebec don’t always go quietly.
Fun
Satire
Not-so-quiet revolutions
Written by Eric Dupont
Translated by Peter McCambridge
258 pages • 9781771862882 • 8.5″ x 5.5″
FICTION / Literary
$23.95
AVAILABLE IN ALL FORMATS
Publication Date: September 1, 2022
Rosa Ost grows up in Notre-Dame-du-Cachalot, a tiny village at the end of the world, where two industries are king: paper and Boredom. The only daughter of Terese Ost (a fair-to-middling trade unionist and a first-rate Scrabble player), the fate that befalls Rosa is the focus of this tale of long journeys and longer lives, of impossible deaths, unwavering prophecies, and unsettling dreams as she leaves her village for Montreal on a quest to summon the westerly wind that has proved so vital to the local economy.
From village gossips, tealeaf-reading exotic dancers, and Acadian red herrings to soothsaying winkles and centuries-old curses, Rosa’s Very Own Personal Revolution is a delightful, boundary-pushing story about stories and the storytellers who make them – and a reminder that revolutions in Quebec aren’t always quiet.
“If the Americans have John Irving and the Colombians Gabriel García Márquez, we have Eric Dupont. And he’s every bit as good as them.” (Voir)
Winner, Radio-Canada’s “Combat des livres” (the equivalent of the CBC’s Canada Reads contest)
PRAISE FOR ROSA’S VERY OWN PERSONAL REVOLUTION
“Once again, Québec author Eric Dupont has crafted a delightful novel bringing together the rustic world of the Gaspé Peninsula with fast-paced life in big-city Montreal. Masterfully translated by Peter McCambridge, arguably the best contemporary translator in Canada, Rosa’s Very Own Personal Revolution brings to English readers a view of Quebec society too long hidden from them … a contemporary masterpiece of literature and social commentary.” (Ian Thomas Shaw, Ottawa Review of Books)
“An unforgettable tall tale … consistently entertaining.” (Marcie McCauley, The Temz Review)
“Playful and irreverent this improbable farce is a fun read with a strangely satisfying, if bizarre, ending that ties up the loose ends in the wildest of knots.” (Joseph Schreiber, Rough Ghosts)
“Whimsical and entertaining … fun and unpredictable.” (Consumed by Ink)
“A great Canadian book to get those who love to laugh this holiday season.” (CBC Books)
“There’s a lot here to enjoy … if you like a bit of fun with your fiction in translation, then spending a couple of nights in Rosa’s company is just the ticket.” (Tony Malone, Tony’s Reading List)
“By turns caustic, fierce and moving, this sinuous novel is chock full of interwoven stories, comical scenes and larger-than-life, hilarious characters. The novelist casts his spell to rework historical events in a magical world, blurring the boundaries between fiction and reality, between centuries past and the year 2000 … Brilliant and exhilarating.” (Suzanne Giguère, Le Devoir)
“Delightful.” (Marie-Claude Fortin, La Presse)
“A gem.” (Didier Fessou, Le Soleil)
PRAISE FOR Eric Dupont’s LIFE IN THE COURT OF MATANE
“This novel from Dupont … the first from a new fiction imprint dedicated to publishing ‘the very best of a new generation of Quebec storytellers in flawless English translation,’ lives up to that ambition. … By turns poignant, playful, and nostalgic, the book evokes ’70s Quebec with the quirky but successful device of combining an autobiographical family story with motifs drawn from fable, history, politics and myth. … Translator McCambridge beautifully captures the joyous top notes and the darker undercurrents of this fascinating voice.” (Publishers Weekly)
“Dupont is a writer of such intelligence and skill that he is able to not only become a philosopher, but a poet, who not only understands the horrors of a dysfunctional childhood, but also knows what is beautiful about it. And this book is a testament to his unwavering generosity towards both his characters and the people of Quebec.” (Heather O’Neill, author)
“Wildly imaginative … a remarkably sensitive and intelligent coming-of-age story told with an irresistible blend of heartache, humour and magic.” (Numéro Cinq)
“A highly original read.” (PRISM magazine)
“Dupont’s gift is that his stories have never been told in such a way before, could only ever be told in that way, and will never again be told like that.” (Buried in Print)
PRAISE FOR Eric Dupont’s SONGS FOR THE COLD OF HEART
“Spectacular… original in every sense.” (Literary Review of Canada)
“Masterful… heartbreaking and hilarious.” (Publishers Weekly)
“Highly recommended.” (Library Journal)
“Fiercely readable.” (Toronto Star)
“This book manages to capture the cultural zeitgeist of Quebec culture in the twentieth century. It reminded me of all the great French Canadian novels I read as a child, but pushed them to new, delightful, hilarious, epic levels. […] I dare you not to read the first three pages and fall in love.” (Heather O’Neill, jury member, 2018 Giller Prize)
“As magnificent a work of irony and magic as the boldest works of Gabriel García Márquez, but with a wholly original sensibility that captures the marvellous obsessions of the Québécois zeitgeist of the 20th century. It is, without a doubt, a tour de force. And the translation is as exquisite as a snowflake.” (Giller Prize jury)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eric Dupont was born in Amqui, Quebec, in 1970. He left his native Gaspé Peninsula at age 16 for Austria and other faraway locales, returning to Quebec in 2003 to accept a position as a lecturer in translation at the McGill University School of Continuing Studies. His fourth novel, La Fiancée américaine, released in 2012, won the Prix des libraires du Québec and the Prix littéraire des collégiens. Its English translation by Peter McCambridge, Songs for the Cold of Heart, was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2018 and subsequently published by HarperVia, outside of Canada, under the title The American Fiancée. One of the hallmarks of Eric’s writing is the juxtaposition of the supernatural and real worlds. The lighthearted tone of his work often belies undercurrents of deeper themes and meanings.
ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR
Originally from Ireland, Peter McCambridge holds a BA in modern languages from Cambridge University, England, and has lived in Quebec City since 2003. He runs Québec Reads and now QC Fiction. Life in the Court of Matane was the first novel he chose for this collection and the book that made him want to become a literary translator in the first place. His translation of the first chapter won the 2012 John Dryden Translation Prize. His translations have been World Literature Today Notable Translations, longlisted for Canada Reads, and finalists for the Giller Prize and the Governor General’s Award for Translation.
OUR COMMITMENT TO DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY
✓ One of Quebec’s most daring and original writers in translation.
✓ A new voice and a bestselling Canadian author, now published internationally by HarperCollins and QC Fiction.
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