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I’m reading my new Granta (106), in which there’s a long interview by Jhumpa Lahiri with Mavis Gallant. I have actually stopped halfway in to write this, because there’s a point where she talks about when she first went to Paris, and left her hotel (and the left bank entirely) to get away from the ex-pats—in part, in particular, Mordecai Richler. She calls him a “bit of a brat;” talks about how he resented Paris because he couldn’t speak French (“Though he came from Montreal, he couldn’t say, ‘Pass the salt.’ He couldn’t say anything.”); and relays this anecdote of him walking up to her in a cafe and pulling a book out of her hands (an Elizabeth Bowen novel, one that I love, incidentally) and reading a bit of it out loud mockingly, then saying, “If you go on reading this crap you’re never going to get anywhere.”
Anyway: it’s a great little tidbit from Montreal’s lit past that most people here will likely miss. I have wondered, frankly, whether they knew/liked each other, and now I know.
You can watch a Q&A between Lahiri and Gallant here
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ISSUE 42 Winter 2011
online content:
-
Our Tar-Sands Man in Washington
Gary Doer was hailed as one of Canada's greenest leaders. Then he became ambassador to the US—and started shilling for Alberta oil. [full text] -
Against the Memory Industry
Is the cult of remembrance holding us back? In an era of Google archives and tragedy tourism, we need to relearn how to forget. [full text] -
Someone Has to Save Us From This
The first-place story from the 2011 Quebec Writing Competition. [full text] -
Kingers
One of two second-place stories from the 2011 Quebec Writing Competition. [full text] -
A Photo Examination
One of two second-place stories from the 2011 Quebec Writing Competition. [full text]
also in this issue:
-
Getting Plowed
In this exclusive investigative report from Montreal, Maisonneuve exposes the bid-rigging, violence and sabotage at the heart of an unlikely racket: snow removal. -
In the House of the Lord
The Jackson Avenue Housing Co-operative and the religious battle raging in one of Canada's poorest neighbourhoods. -
After Jack
Last May, Jack Layton led the NDP to the greatest victory in party history. Now that he's gone, will the party be able to maintain its momentum? - [see full issue contents]