Red Squared Montreal: A Fictional Chronicle

by Norman Nawrocki

Cops going wild clobbering students in the street. Mass protests day and night for seven months. Thousands arrested, more injured. Love and rage, tears and defiance collide in Red Squared Montreal, a fictional chronicle about the historic and bloody Quebec student strike and mass social unrest of 2012-?the longest and largest civil disobedience movement that ever rocked Canada. Through the eyes of one student, Huberto, we see Montreal streets transformed into either joyful, red-strike spaces, vibrant with art and youthful rebellion, or ugly and dangerous police no-go zones as he navigates his way through the upheaval. The day and night protests lead to a city divided, a government toppled, and a personal vow of vengeance. Red Squared Montreal is the first fictional account in English about this important mass social movement. It tells the mostly unknown story about the largest civil disobedience movement in Canadian history and describes how activists used ?creative resistance?-?the arts and imagination-?to engage the public. An inspirational read about courage, solidarity and hope in the face of brutal repression this book shows how to organize in the streets for radical change in the 21st century.

206 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2023

About the author

Norman Nawrocki is a Montreal author, actor, playwright and musician. He has written eighteen books of fiction, poetry and non-fiction including two novels, CAZZAROLA! Anarchy, Romani, Love, Italy (PM Press, Oakland), and Red Squared Montreal (Black Rose Books, Montreal); a semi-fictional memoir, The East End Rules, A Van East Memoir (Black Rose Books, Montreal) a short story collection, The Anarchist & The Devil Do Cabaret (Black Rose Books, Montreal), an organiser's guide, Squat the City! How to use the arts for housing justice (Kersplebedeb, Montreal) two novellas plus two dozen plays, cabarets and musicals. His work has been translated and published in French and Italian and appears in numerous anthologies.

Since 1985 he has recorded 70 spoken word and music albums including soundtracks for his books, both solo and with his diverse bands. He performs in literary, spoken word and theatre festivals across North America and Europe, produces cultural events in Montreal, and receives occasional support from Arts Councils.

He co-founded the Montreal-based Anarchist Writers Bloc and the former annual Montreal International Anarchist Theatre Festival. His series of live anti-sexist/queer positive educational sex comedy cabarets has been seen by over a million people. He lectures at universities and colleges across North America and abroad and teaches how to use the arts for 'creative resistance' and social justice.

https://linktr.ee/normannawrocki

Reviews

[Wayne Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fictional chronicle about Maple Spring, a student strike to protest against proposed tuition hikes for post-secondary students in Quebec. It reminded me of how my sympathies gradually switched over to supporting their movement as the police forces ramped up their brutality against the students engaged in peaceful protests.