Storied Streets: Montreal in the Literary Imagination

by Bryan Demchinsky, Elaine Kalman Naves

Montreal – an island at the confluence of two rivers, adorned with an unspoiled mountain at its centre has been the inspiration of poets, novelists, playwrights, and memoirists since the time of Cartier and is the only city in the world with a flourishing literary tradition in English and French. Its landscape, history, and cultures have been immortalized by Hugh MacLennan, Gabrielle Roy, Mordecai Richler, Michel Tremblay, Yves Beauchemin, and scores of others; the characters of Duddy Kravitz, Athanase Tallard, Florent Boissonneault, The Fat Woman Next Door, and Leonard Cohen’s Suzanne have rooted themselves in the imagination of countless readers.

Storied Streets is an illustrated celebration of this rich heritage, in which the reader is lead by authors Demchinsky and Naves through the history and literary byways of Montreal’s neighbourhoods, from their beginnings to the present, with evocative passages from favourite books helping to paint the scene. With its arresting and rare archival photographs, Storied Streets is an irresistible treasure for bibliophiles everywhere.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published May 15, 2000

Reviews

[Alison Quigley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gratitude is the first word that comes to mind when reviewing this book. For a writer researching Montreal it’s essential to scope how other writers have written about their city. This book is parked at the centre of that problem and solves it nicely, with excerpts of seminal texts that writers have produced in response to the Montreal environs. From the controversies of Hochelaga’s location to the poetry of Emile Nelligan, Leonard Cohen and Dany Laferrie, this book held my interest from first to last. All that remains is to read the works referenced here, including Irving Layton, Constance Beresford-Howe, and Trevor Ferguson. Here’s hoping they’re available. I can imagine a companion collection of works that could be sold as a package for readers who want the full gamut of works. Any takers?