Atavismes

by Maxime Raymond Bock

Réalistes, fantastiques ou spéculatives, les histoires d’Atavismes, reliant les voix contemporaines à celles du passé, redessinent la carte d’une Amérique où la sauvagerie des forêts millénaires se mêle aux vertiges isolés de la grande ville.

Dans ce recueil d’histoires, Raymond Bock s’intéresse à l’Histoire, notre histoire. À une filiation tragique depuis les origines sanglantes de la colonie jusqu’à son abandon devant la télévision, c’est à la fois épique et pathétique, et le regard, lui, est impitoyable.
Chantal Guy, « Top 10 des livres québécois », La Presse

Genres: Fiction, Canada

234 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2011

Reviews

[Noémie Dubé · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5*
La prose est parfois magnifique, mais les thèmes sont malheureusement assez quelconques. Ça passe, mais ça ne marque pas.

[Norman Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was born in Montreal but had never read any French-Canadian authors. I came across this review in the New Yorker and gave this book a shot, and did not regret it.

Too Different and Too Familiar: The Challenge of French-Canadian Literature, by Pasha Malla, 2015

[Tonymess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are books a free interpretation of reality, or a faithful transcription of our fiction?

A recent list of “15 translated books that are essential to Canada” published by cbcbooks.ca led to a twitter discussion and a recommendation from a fellow translated literature fan to pick up “Atavisms” by Raymond Bock. And I must say it is one of the best recommendations made this year.

Atavism (noun) from the Latin ‘atav’ a remote ancestor, ‘avus’ grandfather, forefather. Meaning the ‘reversion to an earlier type; throwback.’ Or ‘the reappearance in an individual of characteristics of some remote ancestor that have been absent in intervening generations.

I did need to look up the title of this work in a dictionary, and there are quite a few other words scattered throughout this short story collection that I needed to reference check. I’ve become more learned as the pages turned!!!

This is a collection of thirteen (the back cover tells us “an unlucky number”) short stories or ‘histories’. Beginning with a story called “Wolverine” you know you are in for a sketched ride through French Canadian
history, with the detail of events scant but the impact of them all too real.

After reading a couple of works it becomes quite apparent that the themes of travelling distances, political activism, minority rebellion and action as well as wide open spaces are a thread throughout. A sketching of the evolution of the French Canadian landscape in front of our reading eyes.

For my full review go to http://messybooker.blogspot.com.au/20...

[France-Andrée · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un recueil de nouvelles qui vaut vraiment la peine d'être exploré. Les genres de récit que l'on y rencontre sont très diversifié : historique, fantaisiste, dramatique, etc.; les nouvelles se passent autant dans le passé, le présent ou le futur; et les styles littéraires utilisés sont diversifiés. L'auteur possède une très belle plume, les mots sont vraiment bien choisis; j'ai complètement dévoré le livre en moins de 12 heures!

On pourrait me croire biaisée puisque je travail avec la mère de l'auteur et qu'elle m'a offert le livre pour mes vacances, mais je crois que cette situation m'a plutôt rendue plus difficile à convaincre du mérite de ces histoires et, pourtant, j'en suis maintenant complètement convaincue.

[Joseph Schreiber · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning collection of thirteen short stories, covering a wide range of styles but all circling around a uniquely Québécois perspective. Originally published as Atavismes in 2011 this prize winning book is now available in English. My full review here: http://wp.me/p4GDHM-dk

[World Literature Today]

This book was featured in the Nota Benes section of the November/December 2015 issue of World Literature Today Magazine.

http://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/2...