Friday, March 12, 2010

Canada Reads Winner. . .

Hooray! Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner, translated by Lazer Lederhendler wins Canada Reads! I'm so excited that Canadians will be reading this novel, especially since most of us Anglophones (and I embarassingly include myself) don't read a lot of French Canadian literature. I know I'm more likely to read a novel in translation from France rather than Quebec and I keep sternly rebuking myself for this. Nikolski is also a nice break from the heavy, historical novels we often associate with Canlit. It's refreshing to read a novel that is playful, urban, clever and funny. And don't forget that Lazer Lederhendler won a Governor General's Award in 2008 for his translation of this book. When the Dewey Divas visit Ottawa Public Library, we're joined by a French rep from Montreal, who recently was enthusiastically talking about Dickner's next novel Tarmac which will be available in English translation in Spring 2011. She kindly gave me a copy (I can read French, albeit very, very slowly with a dictionary close by) and I'm now inspired to set aside the time and read it.

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