La Montagne secrète (Boréal compact t. 53)

by Gabrielle Roy

Gabrielle Roy — en s’inspirant de la vie du peintre René Richard, son ami et voisin de Charlevoix — relate la vie amoureuse d’un artiste du nom de Pierre Cadorai : ses années d’errance dans les paysages surhumains du Grand Nord canadien, son apprentissage, sa découverte de Paris et de la Provence, et surtout la recherche patiente du sens de son art et du sens de sa propre vie. L’existence de Pierre, sa soif de beauté et de plénitude forment ainsi une fable, non seulement de la condition de tout artiste, mais de celle de chacun d’entre nous. La Montagne secrète a été publié pour la première fois à Montréal en 1961 et à Paris l’année suivante. Sa traduction anglaise a paru à New York et à Toronto en 1962.

Genres: Fiction, Collections, France, Canada, Literature

187 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1961

About the author

Gabrielle Roy was born in March 1909 in Saint-Boniface, Manitoba, the youngest of eleven children. Her mother and father, then, were relatively old at the time of her birth -- 42 and 59 respectively. Like Christine's father in Rue Deschambault (Street of Riches), Léon Roy worked as a colonisation officer for the Department of Immigration, a position he held between 1897 and 1915. His politically motivated dismissal occurred six months before his retirement, thus leaving Roy with no pension to support his family. The family's financial predicament during Gabrielle's youth precluded any chance of her attending university, despite having earned stellar marks throughout high school which put her as one of the top students in the entire province. In 1927, after graduating from grade twelve, she enrolled at the Winnipeg Normal Institute where she completed her teacher training.

After teaching in the rural communities of Marchand and Cardinal, where she taught for a year, Roy returned to Saint-Boniface. There she accepted a teaching job at the Académie Provencher boy's school, a position she held from 1930-37. During this period, Roy began actively pursuing her interest in acting and joined the Cercle Molière theatre troupe. Her experiences as an actor inspired her to leave her teaching position and travel to Europe to study drama. Spending between 1937 and 1939 in Britain and France, the fluently bilingual Roy studied acting for six months before concluding that she did not desire to pursue a career in the theatre. In the meantime, she had also begun to write articles about Canada for newspapers in Paris and pieces on Europe for newspapers in Manitoba and came to realize that writing could be her vocation.

Over the course of her lengthy and prolific career, Gabrielle Roy received many honours, including three Governor General's Awards (1947, 1957, 1978), the Prix Fémina (1947), the Companion of the Order of Canada (1967), the Medal of the Canada Council (1968), the Prix David (1971), and the Prix Molson (1978).

Reviews

[Jim Puskas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each of Gabrielle Roy's sensitive, deeply human works always offer new insights into what makes life meaningful; here, she succeeds in something quite exceptional, revealing what it truly means to be an artist; and how precious is the gift of friendship. This small book includes many wonderful moments but I think it's the final chapter that really carries the day. I feel incapable of capturing, in a brief review, the feelings invoked by this gentle novel; I can only urge fellow readers to search it out for both enlightenment and pure pleasure.
What a miraculous gift it would be for any one of us to be able to find our own Hidden Mountain!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the English translation of this book. It was phenomenal and gave a great overview of the artist personality in a tremendous story ...and from a Northern Canadian perspective!!

[Myriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gabrielle Roy met ici en mots le parcours intérieur de nombre d'entre nous, même ceux et celles qui n'ont pas une âme d'artiste.

Pierre frémissait d'une appréhension de l'inconnu telle que les forêts les plus sauvages n'avaient pu lui en communiquer. Sous l'effet d'il ne savait quel stimulant - un air plus vif, une proximité d'âme exigeante - le désir de faire de sa vie une chose belle et vraie poussait en lui aussi un cri de nostalgie.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting story about a voyageur-cum-painter roughing it in the canadian boreal wilderness. vivid and very personal descriptions of the landscape, especially when it's part of the main conflict for the survivalist.
the book does well at being both "action"-y earlier on and still introspective nearer to the end, although the move in setting to paris was a bit odd.

the story is very rich in the various people the traveller meets, lots of different characters at different points in their lives are seen, like the old prospector who can't bring himself to give up searching his little river despite everyone else in his life having given up on him, the small girl who lost her father and whose future was uncertain, the trapper who helped the protagonist through the winter and recognized his talent

i was recommended this by my friend's dad because of its focus on the labradorian taiga, which i was interested in at the time, and because the author was french-manitoban. so on both fronts i was satisfied

[Evelynkeirstead · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story of painter Pierre Cadorai, inspired by the painter René Richard. Pierre is a young painter who is searching for truth and beauty in his painting. This search leads him to the far Canadian north and then to Paris and the south of France. He is captivated by the isolation and the stillness of the north and although he travels to France the images he captured in northern Canada never really leave him. Well written with beautiful imagery.

[Jann · Rating 5 out of 5]

The original was published in 1961 in French and the English translation published in 1962. This is about a young man with the urge to discover the northern territories and the northernmost parts of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ungava, Quebec. He is in turn a fisherman, trapper, hunter, and miner. He travels sometimes by himself and occasionally finds a pal for a season or two with whom he shares a hut, the chores of the activity of the moment and eventually shares the proceeds. He is often observed by these partners, sketching what he has remembered or just the terrain around them. They are all encouraging of his hobby and each in some way adds to his available materials or becomes one of his models. Constantly striving to do better, he is dissatisfied that he is unable to capture what he considers the essence of the terrain. Eventually he sets off alone toward Ungava, experiences many hardships before coming to a mountain peak he considers Resplendent. Ignoring the advice of an Eskimo to leave the area before winter sets in, he becomes gravely ill due to the cold and lack of food, although fortunately he is rescued by some locals. When he is brought back to 'civilization' a priest pays a call and discovers his talent for sketching and painting. This priest has connections in Montreal who might sell some of his work and through these connections, he is persuaded to go to Paris to study and improve his techniques. Paris is a revelation to him and he makes good use of trips to the Louvre and finds a friend who brings him to a good teacher. France is a wonder to him and he paints frequently but is still after that elusive something which will finally make him satisfied with his work. This is a beautiful and eloquent book, despite the early backwoods settings.

[Vicky Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Récit de la quête de la beauté du peintre Pierre Cadorai (sorte d'alias du peintre René Richard) qui a parcouru le Nord du Canada avec pinceaux et crayons. Une expression extraordinaire de ce qu'est la quête de l'artiste, quel que soit son art. Absolument émouvant et parsemé de moment de pure beauté.

[Marvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beau roman contemplatif qui raconte les voyages en canot d'un artiste peintre dans le Nord canadien et québécois, quelque part au début du XXe siècle. Gabrielle Roy décrit bien les grands espaces du Nord, la lumière ou son absence, et le silence.

[Justine Bouchard · Rating 5 out of 5]

« Ainsi peut-être, pensait-il, devrait être ce qu’on appelle une vie d’artiste, et qui l’est souvent si peu avec ses marchandages, sa soif de publicité, l’amertume de l’envie, tant de bruit déplacé. »

Ouf. 🎇

[K.n. Listman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read an English translation of this book, and unaware of the original French title, I tried unsuccessfully to find it. This intriguing book relates the life of a trapper as he experiences friendships and struggles to survive along with another side of his life that sets him apart. He's a talented artist. It is one of the best and most accessible books about the burden and joys of creativity, written in a deceptively simple manner.

[Trésor de Velours · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je suis sorti soufflé par la beauté de ce roman qui nous offre à contempler des paysages si majestueux. L'histoire est inspirée de la vie (et les œuvres) de René Richard. Il y a donc une sensibilité dans ce récit qui s'approche de celle du peintre. C'est si joli !

[La Djif · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5. Agréablement surprise, je m'attendais a un livre chiant comme la pluie, et je l'ai lu d'une traite.

[Martin Sevigny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Très bien écrit. Malheureusenent, la deuxième partie du roman n'est pas à la hauteur de la première partie autant au niveau de l'intrigue qu'au niveau esthétique.

[Paroles · Rating 4 out of 5]

La montagne secrète by Gabrielle Roy is beautiful book about the nature of art and the essence of creativity. The choice of protagonist helps to deliver the message with the most clarity: he is a Canadian trapper by occupation and an artist by calling (which he is the last person to recognize). Pierre Cadorai (a meaningful surname!) is a no more a conventional artist than he is a hunter, but nevertheless he is a true and pure artist consumed completely by Art, that liberating and unforgiving force.

Roy first observes the protagonist’s art develop in his natural environment in the wild Canadian North where his talent gets nourished and where he discovers the essence of creative work (symbolized by the”secret mountain” that only exists in the artist’s mind view until the artist brings it out to the public...) And then the author places Pierre in the world’s capital of conventional art - in Paris, where he goes to study "the craft". But for a true artist art is life and one is impossible without the other, and so, taken away from its source Pierre’s art suffers for lack of oxygen (and so does unfortunately, Pierre’s body).

It's helpful to know that the main character is based on Canadian artist René Richard and I found that familiarizing yourself with his art helps to get deeper understanding of the book.

As always, Roy's style is impeccable and full of aphorisms and beautiful observations about the relationship between life and art, an artist and art, an artist and the public, etc.

Je suis belle extraordinairement, c'est vrai, disait-elle. ... Cependant, personne ne m'ayant vue jusqu'ici, est-ce que j'existais vraiment? Tant que l'on n'a pas été contenu en un regard, a-t-on la vie? A-t-on la vie si personne encore ne nous a aimé? (p. 86)

Ainsi donc, se disait-il, ne nous trahissent pas nos grands rêves mystérieux d'amour et de beauté. Ce n'est pas pour se jouer de nous qu'ils nous appelent de si loin et conservent sur nos âmes leur emprise infinie. (p. 86)

Il s'apercut qu'il pensait a des hommes, des inconnus, une multitude. Il revait d'eux, d'une entente entre eux et lui - d'une entente avec des inconnus - lui qui, toute sa vie, jusqu'ici, s'etait sans cesse elogne des hommes. (p. 94)

Il pensait a cette impression qu'il avait maintes fois éprouvée d'avoir en la poitrine un immense oiseau captif - d’être lui-même cet oiseau prisonnier - et parfois, alors qu'il peignait la lumiere ou l'eau courante, ou quelque image de liberte, le captif en lui, pour quelques instants s'evadait, volait un peu de ses ailes. ... Mais lorsque lui-meme se liberait, pensait Pierre, est-ce que du meme coup il ne liberait pas aussi d'autres hommes, leur pensee enchainee, leur esprit souffrant? (p. 94)

La joie est dangereuse, s’exaltant à son jeu, sans cesse, comme lee feu, demandant à consumer pour se soutenir. (p. 95)

La mort du présent n’est rien ; c’est la perte de l’avenir en soi qui est déchirante. (p. 104)

...les plus grands parmi nous [les artistes] travaillent pour des inconnus qui, bien souvent, du r, ne les comprendront qu’imparfaitement. (p. 112)

Paris apparaissait comme un grand lion si, fatigué et rêveur. (p. 158)

Ce qui meurt d’inexprimé, avec une vie, lui parut la seule mort regrettable. (p. 183)

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fulfilling calm for me but also unfulfilling in the reality of how art can be a lot but also not enough for us as humans if we are too absorbed in our pursuits of ephemorality.

[Philippe Mirabel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pour l'auteur qui donna "Bonheur d'occasion", un livre dont la valeur réside entre autre de dépeindre la classe ouvrière de l'époque, "La montagne secrète" est assez décevant. Il traîne en longueur et on ne sait pas trop où l'auteur veut en venir.

Tant qu'à moi, c'est une perte de temps.

[Orla Hegarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are an explorer you should read this book!