Claudine Bertrand, editor
Stephen Scobie &
Marie Vautier, translators

Paris, the City of Light, inspires the entire world –– especially the poets of Quebec. In this anthology, superbly translated by Stephen Scobie and Marie Vautier, Québécois poets explore the splendours, mysteries and secrets of Paris. This ancient centre of culture, the capital city of their ancestors, the settlers of New France, puts the poets in touch with the source of their vibrant art. Paris speaks to Québéc’s greatest poets in their own language and they in turn celebrate this city of beauty and of art. From Notre Dame Cathedral to the Luxembourg Gardens, from the Bastille to Saint Suplice...the reader is offered a tour of Paris unlike any other, along the paths of memories and the curves of the River Seine as seen by some of Quebec’s most important poets. The poems of Paris Quebec were carefully selected by editor Claudine Bertrand, with translation by French scholar Marie Vautier and poet Stephen Scobie. This anthology, illustrated with atmospheric black-and-white photography, makes wonderful introduction to contemporary Québécois poetry and an intriguing exploration of one of the world’s favourite cities.

Poet and scholar Stephen Scobie was born in Scotland and teaches Canadian literature at the University of Victoria. He received the Governor General’s Award for Poetry for his book McAlmon’s Chinese Opera and was elected to the Royal Society of Canada in 1995. He has written many books including And Forget My Name, a speculative biography of Bob Dylan, published by Ekstasis Editions.

Marie Vautier is Associate Professor of comparative Canadian literature, Québécois literature and literary theory at the University of Victoria.