Midis littéraires de la Grande Bibliothèque: In Conversation with Writer Gilles Archambault

Montréal, October 31, 2007 – Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) presents a conversation with Gilles Archambault as part of the Midis littéraires de la Grande Bibliothèque, on November 8, 2007, from 12:30 pm to 2 pm, at the Auditorium of the Grande Bibliothèque. Hosted by author and cultural journalist Aline Apostolska, this series of talks, open to the public free of charge, features some of Québec literature’s most influential writers. Topics include the writer’s craft, sources of inspiration, writing rituals and the facets of life that trigger the desire to create.

A very personal body of work  

A commentator and well-known presenter of literary and jazz programmes, Gilles Archambault has penned nearly thirty books, including the novels Les maladresses du cœur (1998), La vie à trois (1965) and more recently Les Rives prochaines, prose collections such as Stupeurs (1979) and hundreds of texts published in Liberté, Cité libre, Livre d'ici, L'Actualité, Maintenant, Maclean’s, La Presse, Le Jour and Le Devoir.

The author was awarded the Prix Athanase-David in 1981 for his oeuvre and the Governor General's Literary Award in 1987 for his collection of short fiction entitled L’obsédante obèse et autres agressions. He has also received the Prix Fleury-Mesplet for his contribution to the development of publishing in Québec.

Famous for his refined subtlety and occasionally caustic sense of humour, Gilles Archambault has authored one of the most personal bodies of work of contemporary Québec literature. He will discuss his commitments and his passions as well as his evolution as a creator and a communicator before exchanging a few words with the audience about his thoughts and analyses.

Top In brief:

Midis littéraires de la Grande Bibliothèque
In conversation with Gilles Archambault

Thursday, November 8, from 12:30 pm to 2 pm

Auditorium of the Grande Bibliothèque
425, boulevard De Maisonneuve Est, Montréal

Free admission subject to availability of seats (300)

Other events of the Midis littéraires de la Grande Bibliothèque

Thursday, December 6, 12:30 pm to 2 pm - Neil Bissoondath, novelist, essayist and short story writer
Thursday, January 10, 12:30 pm to 2 pm – Denise Desautels, poet and author
Thursday, February 14, 12:30 pm to 2 pm - Michel Marc Bouchard, actor, playwright and author

Top About the Grande Bibliothèque and BAnQ

Welcoming nearly 10,000 visitors a day, the Grande Bibliothèque is a major cultural beacon of Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ).

BAnQ's mission is to acquire, preserve and disseminate the publications, archival documents and films constituting Québec and Québec-related documentary heritage. It also offers all Quebecers free access¿on site, on the Internet and through interlibrary loan¿to vast universal collections and to the services of a major public library.

AnQ encompasses the Grande Bibliothèque, a preservation centre (Centre de conservation) and nine archives centres in Montréal, Québec City, Gatineau, Rimouski, Rouyn-Noranda, Saguenay, Sept-Îles, Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières.