Nouvelles maisons d'édition, nouvelles perspectives en littérature québécoise? ed. by Andrée Mercier et Élisabeth Nardout-Lafarge (review)

Noting the creation of many new publishing houses in Quebec since the year 2000, this issue explores what this might imply about the evolution of Québécois literature into the twenty-first century. This review will focus on the articles of the"Présentation" that directly address this question, but the contribution in the "Exercices de lecture" by Manon Auger exploring the idea of "contemporary" in literary criticism is not without relevance. The introductory article written by the editors quite nicely prepares the reader for what is to follow and is particularly helpful if, as is likely to be the case for most scholars of literature, one has not previously given much consideration to questions of publication and marketing. A theme carried across these articles is the question of whether this proliferation of publishing houses constitutes a"renaissance" of Québécois literature, while acknowledging that it may be too soon to judge. The articles that follow the introduction can be read as three thematically-linked pairs. Martine-Emmanuel Lapointe and Laurence Côté-Fournier offer close studies of individual publishers, La Mèche and Rodrigol respectively. The study of La Mèche focuses on the coherence of their catalogue in terms of themes and aesthetics. In the case of Rodrigol, the article emphasizes the house's interest in experimentation and pop culture. These articles provide the reader a couple of very informative snapshots of literary culture in contemporary Quebec. These are followed by a pair of articles which examine editorial choices in branding and marketing. Pierre-Luc Landry and Marie-Hélène Voyer explore the creativity in genre labeling demonstrated by many new publishing houses. In place of the simple identification roman, texts are tagged with labels such as " roman almanach" (48) or " proses et dramaticules" (47). This hybridity and subversion of genre are yet more evidence of the importance of inventiveness in Quebec's contemporary literary scene. René Audet's contribution draws our attention to what he identifies as sous-produits éditoriaux, the marketing strategies, cover art, and promotional items used by new publishing houses as a branding exercise, calling attention to their publications as they seek to compete with more established publishers. The final pair of articles address more directly the writing itself, attempting to predict directions that may be taken by Québécois literature. Andrée Mercier examines the almost parodic treatment of the identity quest in recent works, suggesting that contemporary writers are moving away from the obsessions that dominated the works of writers from earlier periods. Benoît Melançon examines the language question: the use in the text of Québécois French versus so-called"standard" French, roles played by other languages spoken in the province, and—in particular—how or whether authors choose to acknowledge or ignore the language debate that, like the question of identity, has long preoccupied writers in Quebec. The articles together present a well-crafted and genuinely interesting portrait of the current state of Québécois writing, and this issue is highly recommended reading for anyone interested in Canadian Francophone literature.