For Sure
ABOUT
THE BOOK
For Sure is among other things a labyrinth, a maze, an exploration of the folly of numbers, a repository, a defense and an illustration of the Chiac language. Written in dazzling prose – which is occasionally interrupted by surprising bits of information, biography, and definitions that appear on the page – Daigle perfectly captures the essence of a place and offers us a reflection on minority cultures and their obsession with language.
It is also the continuing story of Terry and Carmen, familiar to us from previous works, their children Etienne and Marianne, and all those who gravitate around the Babar, the local bar in Moncton – the Zablonskis, Zed, Pomme – artists and ordinary people who question their place in the world from a distinct point of view that is informed by their geography, and by their history, politics, and culture.
Masterfully translated from French by award-winning translator Robert Majzels, For Sure is the moving story of a family and a surprising, staggeringly original work that represents a corner of our country.
ABOUT
THE TRANSLATOR Robert
Majzels
NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS
For Sure is epic in length, complicated in structure and charming in tone. An intrusive author and a quirky cornucopia of facts surround, and support this story of an engaging, believable family and their community. For Sure is about language and words, and reflects a unique Canadian minority culture. The translation from the French is a tour de force, as Robert Majzels conveys the nuances of the Chiac dialect and its relationship to French, entirely in English. The original French novel won the Governor General’s Award for French Fiction and the Prix Antoine-Maillet Acadie Vie and the English translation was short listed for the Governer General’s Award for French to English Translation.