The Angel's Jig

by Daniel Poliquin, Wayne Grady (Translation)

Long-shortlisted, 2017 ReLit Awards Facing the dwindling years of his life, an old man waits for his turn on the auction block, hoping to be sold to a family as decent as the one he is leaving. It is not the first time he has been here, and it may not be the last. Mute in life but loquacious on the page, the old man tells the colourful story of his rootless life. Abandoned by his family and first auctioned off at the age of seven — "Ladies and gentlemen, this boy may not be a rare gem, but he is certainly worth a look" — he moves from one farm to another, taking comfort from the people around him. Daniel Poliquin's picaresque novel revisits an all-but-forgotten era, when orphaned children and the elderly poor were auctioned into a form of indentured servitude. Narrated through the eyes and ears of an unforgettable protagonist, The Angel's Jig is a joyous meditation on identity and the unpredictable voyage of existence. A French language finalist for the 2015 Trillium Book Award, Le Vol de l'ange now appears in this lyrical translation by award-winning translator Wayne Grady.

Genres: Fiction, Canada

286 pages, Paperback

First published March 4, 2014

About the author

Daniel Poliquin is a Canadian novelist and translator. He has translated works of many Canadian writers into French, including David Homel, Douglas Glover, and Mordecai Richler. He lives in Ottawa, Ontario.

Daniel Poliquin est écrivain et traducteur littéraire. Il est né le 18 décembre 1953 à Ottawa.

Ses romans les plus connus sont La côte de sable (1990), L’Écureuil noir (1994), L’homme de paille (prix Trillium 1998) et La Kermesse. Son essai Le Roman colonial (en anglais, In the Name of the Father) lui a valu en 2002 le prix Shaughnessy-Cohen qui couronne le meilleur ouvrage à caractère politique au Canada.

Il a traduit de nombreux auteurs de langue anglaise, entre autres, Jack Kerouac, Mordecai Richler, Matt Cohen, W.O. Mitchell et Douglas Glover.

La version anglaise de La Kermesse, intitulée A Secret Between Us, était finaliste au Giller Prize 2007, le prix littéraire le plus prestigieux du Canada anglais.

Daniel Poliquin est docteur ès lettres, chevalier de l’Ordre de la Pléiade, médaillé du Jubilé de la Reine Élisabeth, membre de l’Ordre du Canada, docteur honoris causa de l’Université d’Ottawa et chevalier de l’Ordre des arts et lettres de la République française.

Reviews

[Carolyn Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
This is a book of fiction based on actual little known local history. Children and old people were put up for reverse auction in Acadian villages in rural New Brunswick in the hopes that they would be taken into homes and avoid orphanages and poorhouses. They were to be housed and fed and expected to work at these homes and farms. The book was well written and the translation from the original French seemed flawless. The history and the explanation of what was meant by a reverse auction was fascinating. The story is told through the voice of an old man who was auctioned off as a young boy when his father could not afford to keep him. He decided as a young child never to speak, but understands everything. Now as an old man his foster family is losing their home, and he must go up for auction again. His story is bawdy, and there are many sexual passages, some I found verging on the vulgar. I guess these were supposed to be witty, but I found them a distraction from a an interesting account of a nearby historical custom which existed in the nineteenth century until 1925.

[James Fisher · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book could be subtitled "The Bawdy Adventures of a Man for Hire". Whether he is being auctioned off or hired, he always seems to end up in an amorous relationship with a desperate woman
married, widowed or single. I skipped over the chapters on his mother's love life. At any rate, it is a story of rural New Brunswick in the late 1800s/early 1900s, so it contains some historical fact.

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strange tale told entirely in first person by a narrator who is remarkably eloquent despite being illiterate and mute (the latter by choice, the former by happenstance). Set in New Brunswick/Acadia during the early 20th century, the novel follows the life of a man who life-course was determined largely and repeatedly by a little-known local practice of auctioning off the poor, orphaned, and elderly indigent for use as indentured servants and hired hands by area families. That forms the frame for the story, but the gritty details of everyday living and the real struggle not to let hardship engender bitterness and despair are the real foci of the book, and the musings of the protagonist, however unrealistic they might seem at times, are worthy of consideration in their own right.

[Mary Elizabeth Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and strange story. Hard to believe it's based on things that actually took place, auctions of children and the elderly. Despite being narrated by the old man, I didn't feel I really got to know him as well as I wanted to. He's so resilient, so resourceful and tough. I felt there was so much more to know about him, which is perhaps an indication of how alive he became for me. Highly recommended.

[Lyne Girard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roman construit sur une prémisse historique au Nouveau-Brunswick où les orphelins et les personnes âgées seules étaient mises à l’encan. Narration d’un orphelin qui se fait muet et vit toutes ses années d’un foyer à un autre. Sans éclats mais titille la curiosité sur la fin d’une telle vie.

[Caroline Payeur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pas particulièrement enlevant, mais le regard en arrière que porte le personnage sur sa vie amène à réfléchir.

[Norma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel about a mute man's life in the early part of of the 1900's in New Brunswick. The book is well written and is based on a time when people were auctioned as laborers. I had no idea that this had happened in Canada.
My compliments also go to Wayne Grady who translated this novel from its original french.
This novel was a Goodreads giveaway and I am delighted to have won it.

[Caroline]

« [L]a sottise de l'imaginaire collectif ne chôme jamais. » (page 169)

« [L]es hommes et les femmes ne meurent jamais: ils continuent de vivre dans les rêves que nous faisons la nuit et le jour, et ne disparaissent complètement que lorsqu'on les oublie. » (page 245)

[Kathy McKerlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads. It took a bit to get into the book, but once I got into the main character I was very interested in finding out more about him. It was a good read. :)