Night of Literature 2024
Frédérick Lavoie - Troubler les eaux

The Canadian Cultural Centre participates in the 12th Night of Literature! On May 25, you are invited to dive into Quebec literature with author Frédérick Lavoie around his story “Troubler les eaux” (Trouble the Waters) published by La Peuplade. 

Organized by the Forum of Foreign Cultural Institutes in Paris (FICEP) at the Italian Cultural Institute in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, the 12th Night of Literature offers the opportunity to discover over twenty foreign authors through meetings and readings on Saturday May 25 from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.

It is a book which, like a calm river, had to flow naturally.

In 2017, Frédérick Lavoie went to Bangladesh to produce a series of reports on issues related to water. As usual, the journalist collects testimonies to tell the real story. However, over the course of the interviews in the heart of the Ganges delta, his confidence in the accuracy of his perceptions crumbles. What does he really understand, deep down, about these people to whom he says he wants to give a voice? A long period of reflection followed which pushed him to reopen the mystery of his profession and to explore other ways of practicing it. 

From the slums of Dhaka to Ukraine at war, Frédérick Lavoie learns to live with disord – and sometimes to sow it – in order to respond to the challenges of his time, in particular that of the planet’s ecological catastrophe. Nourished by the thoughts of Donna Haraway, Anna Tsing and others, “Troubler les eaux” (Trouble the Waters) is a dizzying tale that allows us to experience  a journalism surrendering its certainties in order to better account for differences and the insolvable.

Born in Chicoutimi, Quebec in 1983, Frédérick Lavoie is an independent writer and journalist, who shares his time between Bombay and Montreal. In 2018, he was awarded the Governor General’s Literary Award in the essay category for “Before and After: Travels in Cuba” with George Orwell (published by La Peuplade). His latest story “Troubler les eaux” is a finalist for the prestigious 2024 Quebec Booksellers Prize.

The discussion will be moderated by Catherine Bédard, Deputy Director and Curator of exhibitions at the Canadian Cultural Center in Paris.

Complete program of the Night of Literature: www.ficep.info