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L'Invention de la mort
Premier roman d'Hubert Aquin, rest ̌inďit depuis 1959. Plus qu'un drame de l'adultr̈e et de la jalousie, le procs̈ d'une fatigue existentielle qui db̌ouche sur le suicide accidentel. Une oeuvre marquante mm̊e si, comme le note justement R. Lv̌esque, le style a ses indčisions et le texte ses "nav̐etš dšuẗes". [SDM].
- GenresFiction
201 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
1 person is currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Hubert Aquin
22 books33 followersHubert Aquin was a Quebec novelist, political activist, essayist, filmmaker and editor.
Aquin graduated from the Université de Montréal in 1951. From 1951 to 1954, he studied at the Institut d'études politiques in Paris. On his return to Montreal worked for Radio-Canada from 1955 until 1959.
From 1960 to 1968, Aquin was active in the movement for Quebec independence. He was an executive member of the first independentist political party, the Rassemblement pour l'indépendance nationale (1960–1969). In 1964, he announced that he was going "underground" to work for independence through terrorism; he was arrested shortly thereafter and detained for four months in a psychiatric hospital. It was there that he wrote his first novel, Prochain épisode (1965), the story of an imprisoned revolutionary. In December 1964, he was acquitted of illegal possession of a firearm.
Regarded as a classic of Canadian literature, Aquin's novel Next Episode (the English translation of Prochain épisode by Sheila Fischman), was chosen for the 2003 edition of CBC Radio's Canada Reads competition, where it was championed by journalist Denise Bombardier. It was the winning title. An earlier English translation by Penny Williams, keeping the French title, was published in 1967.
The self-destructive thoughts of the novel's narrator foreshadow Aquin's own death: On 15 March 1977, Aquin committed suicide.
Aquin graduated from the Université de Montréal in 1951. From 1951 to 1954, he studied at the Institut d'études politiques in Paris. On his return to Montreal worked for Radio-Canada from 1955 until 1959.
From 1960 to 1968, Aquin was active in the movement for Quebec independence. He was an executive member of the first independentist political party, the Rassemblement pour l'indépendance nationale (1960–1969). In 1964, he announced that he was going "underground" to work for independence through terrorism; he was arrested shortly thereafter and detained for four months in a psychiatric hospital. It was there that he wrote his first novel, Prochain épisode (1965), the story of an imprisoned revolutionary. In December 1964, he was acquitted of illegal possession of a firearm.
Regarded as a classic of Canadian literature, Aquin's novel Next Episode (the English translation of Prochain épisode by Sheila Fischman), was chosen for the 2003 edition of CBC Radio's Canada Reads competition, where it was championed by journalist Denise Bombardier. It was the winning title. An earlier English translation by Penny Williams, keeping the French title, was published in 1967.
The self-destructive thoughts of the novel's narrator foreshadow Aquin's own death: On 15 March 1977, Aquin committed suicide.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 9, 2026
René le misogyne
February 14, 2026
Hubert, c’est pas parce que tu écris bien que tu peux écrire un roman complètement misogyne 😗
February 3, 2026
« on ne recommence jamais un baiser, on le remplace par un autre »
« je me suis humiliée dans mon lit parce que je l’étais déjà par toute ma vie et que ni mon corps ni mon âme ne valaient plus rien »
tellement de belles phrases mais lecture vraiment ardue, les passages introspectifs sont lonnnnnngs. j’étais vraiment captivée par les passages plus racontés et concrets
« je me suis humiliée dans mon lit parce que je l’étais déjà par toute ma vie et que ni mon corps ni mon âme ne valaient plus rien »
tellement de belles phrases mais lecture vraiment ardue, les passages introspectifs sont lonnnnnngs. j’étais vraiment captivée par les passages plus racontés et concrets
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews