Volkswagen Blues: Difference between revisions

Volkswagen Blues
Author	Jacques Poulin
Language	French
Genre	Road Novel
Publisher	Québec-Amérique
Publication date	1984
Publication place	Canada
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Pages	323 pages
OCLC	17173838

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Volkswagen Blues is a French-language road novel by French-Canadian writer Jacques Poulin, his sixth, originally published by Québec-Amérique in 1984.

Inspired by the writings of Jack Kerouac and the Beat Generation poets, some of whom appear in the book's later chapters, the novel explores the American landscape and cultural history from the vantage point of the open road, using writers, historical figures, popular music and art as tropes to orient the reader and tell the story of America.

Plot

Volkswagen Blues begins with its protagonist, a middle-aged, formerly successful writer from Quebec, who has adopted the ironic pen-name Jack Waterman (a metonymy playing on Waterman pens), experiencing a bout of writer's block. Having discovered an old postcard, Jack embarks on a quest to reconnect with its sender, his long-lost, rambling brother, Théo. Early into the narrative, Jack picks up a hitchhiker, a young Métisse woman, nicknamed "La Grande Sauterelle" due her long, grasshopper-like legs, as a travel companion, as well as a cat named Chop Suey.

Together in Jack's Volkswagen Minibus, which through personification becomes a character in the story, they travel from Gaspé to San Francisco, passing through Toronto, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City and the American West along their way, exploring the history of European contact with the native people of the Americas. While on the road, they discuss language, literature, music, expansionism, the Oregon Trail, etc., and their trip becomes an allegory for the history of the French exploration of North America. At the same time, La Grande Sauterelle, who is struggling with her own identity, presents another version of American history, as recounted by indigenous peoples, where "discovery" is viewed as "invasion." Throughout the episodic novel a number of interesting and entertaining characters appear, including journalists, museum directors, railroad hoboes and writers such as Saul Bellow and Lawrence Ferlinghetti, as well as the spirit of Jimmie Rodgers, Ernest Hemingway, John Muir and the Beat Generation.

Jack's journey through an America that scholar Paul Socken describes as a "lost paradise" is one of disillusionment and self-discovery that allows him to break through the impasse he had met in his writing.

Reception

Volkswagen Blues was nominated for the Governor General's Award for French-language fiction at the 1984 Governor General's Awards and was one of the selected novels in the 2005 edition of Canada Reads, where it was championed by author and former National Librarian of Canada, Roch Carrier.

Volkswagen Blues was individually cited when Jacques Poulin was awarded the Prix Gilles-Corbeil (informally known as the "Nobel québécois").

Translations

Volkswagen Blues was translated into English by Sheila Fischman and published by McClelland & Stewart in 1988 and subsequently re-issued by Cormorant Books in 2002.

External links

Prix Gilles-Corbeil («Nobel québécois») 2008 announcement (in French)

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|1984 novel by Jacques Poulin}}
-{{Other uses}}
 {{Infobox book| <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Novels or Wikipedia:WikiProject_Books -->
 | name         = Volkswagen Blues
@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 | cover_artist =
 | country      = [[Canada]]
-| language     = [[French-Canadian]]
+| language     = [[French language|French]]
 | series       =
-| genre        = [[Road Novel]]
+| genre        = Road Novel
 | publisher    = Québec-Amérique
 | release_date = 1984
@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 | oclc         = 17173838
 }}
-'''''Volkswagen Blues''''' is a [[French language|French]]-language novel by [[French-Canadian]] writer [[Jacques Poulin]], his sixth, which was originally published by [[Québec-Amérique]] in 1984 and was re-issued by [[Babel]] in 1998.
+'''''Volkswagen Blues''''' is a [[French language|French]]-language [[Road movie|road novel]] by [[French-Canadian]] writer [[Jacques Poulin]], his sixth, originally published by [[Québec-Amérique]] in 1984.
+Inspired by the writings of [[Jack Kerouac]] and the [[Beat Generation]] poets, some of whom appear in the book's later chapters, the novel explores the [[United States|American landscape]] and [[cultural history]] from the vantage point of the open road, using writers, historical figures, popular music and art as tropes to orient the reader and tell the story of America.
-''Volkswagen Blues'' was translated into English by [[Sheila Fischman]] and published by [[McClelland & Stewart]] in 1988 and subsequently re-issued by Cormorant Books in 2002. ''Volkswagen Blues'' was nominated for the [[Governor General's Award for French-language fiction]] at the [[1984 Governor General's Awards]] and was one of the selected novels in the 2005 edition of ''[[Canada Reads]]'', where it was championed by author and former [[Library and Archives Canada|National Librarian]] of Canada, [[Roch Carrier]].
 ==Plot==
-''Volkswagen Blues'' is a [[Road movie|road novel]], in the tradition of [[Jack Kerouac]], about a middle-aged, formerly successful writer who has adopted the [[pen-name]] Jack Waterman (a metonymy can play on [[Waterman pens]]) and, as the novel begins, is experiencing a bout of [[writer's block]]. Discovering an old postcard, the protagonist embarks on a quest in search of his long-lost, rambling brother, Théo. Early in the narrative, Jack picks up a hitchhiker, a young [[Métis people (Canada)|Métisse]] woman, nicknamed "La Grande Sauterelle" due her long, grasshopper-like legs, as a travel companion, as well as a cat named Chop Suey.
+''Volkswagen Blues'' begins with its [[protagonist]], a middle-aged, formerly successful writer from [[Quebec]], who has adopted the ironic [[pen-name]] Jack Waterman (a metonymy playing on [[Waterman pens]]), experiencing a bout of [[writer's block]]. Having discovered an old postcard, Jack embarks on a quest to reconnect with its sender, his long-lost, rambling brother, Théo. Early into the narrative, Jack picks up a [[hitchhiking|hitchhiker]], a young [[Métis people (Canada)|Métisse]] woman, nicknamed "La Grande Sauterelle" due her long, grasshopper-like legs, as a travel companion, as well as a [[cat]] named Chop Suey.
-Together in Jack's [[Volkswagen Type 2|Volkswagen Minibus]], which through personification becomes a character in the story, they travel from [[Gaspé, Quebec|Gaspé]] to [[San Francisco]], passing through [[Toronto]], [[Detroit]], [[Chicago]], [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]] and the [[Western United States|American West]] on their way, exploring the history of European contact with the [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|native people of the Americas]]. While on the road, they discuss language, literature, American expansion, the [[Oregon Trail]], etc., and their trip  becomes an [[allegory]] for the history of the [[French colonization of the Americas|French exploration]] of North America. At the same time, La Grande Sauterelle, who is struggling with her own identity, presents another version of American history, as recounted by the natives, where "discovery" is viewed as "invasion." Throughout the episodic novel a number of interesting and entertaining characters appear, including journalists, museum directors, railroad hoboes and writers such as [[Saul Bellow]] and [[Lawrence Ferlinghetti]], as well as the spirit of [[Ernest Hemingway]], [[John Muir]] and the [[Beat Generation]].
+Together in Jack's [[Volkswagen Type 2|Volkswagen Minibus]], which through [[personification]] becomes a character in the story, they travel from [[Gaspé, Quebec|Gaspé]] to [[San Francisco]], passing through [[Toronto]], [[Detroit]], [[Chicago]], [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]], [[Kansas City]] and the [[Western United States|American West]] along their way, exploring the history of European contact with the [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|native people of the Americas]]. While on the road, they discuss language, literature, music, [[expansionism]], the [[Oregon Trail]], etc., and their trip  becomes an [[allegory]] for the history of the [[French colonization of the Americas|French exploration]] of North America. At the same time, La Grande Sauterelle, who is struggling with her own identity, presents another version of American history, as recounted by indigenous peoples, where "discovery" is viewed as "invasion." Throughout the episodic novel a number of interesting and entertaining characters appear, including journalists, museum directors, railroad hoboes and writers such as [[Saul Bellow]] and [[Lawrence Ferlinghetti]], as well as the spirit of [[Jimmie Rodgers]], [[Ernest Hemingway]], [[John Muir]] and the [[Beat Generation]].
-All in all, Jack's journey through an America that scholar [[Paul Socken]] describes as a "lost paradise" is one of disillusionment and self-discovery that allows him to break through the impasse he had met in his writing.
+Jack's journey through an America that scholar [[Paul Socken]] describes as a "lost paradise" is one of disillusionment and self-discovery that allows him to break through the impasse he had met in his writing.
+==Reception==
+''Volkswagen Blues'' was nominated for the [[Governor General's Award for French-language fiction]] at the [[1984 Governor General's Awards]] and was one of the selected novels in the 2005 edition of ''[[Canada Reads]]'', where it was championed by author and former [[Library and Archives Canada|National Librarian]] of Canada, [[Roch Carrier]].
+''Volkswagen Blues'' was individually cited when [[Jacques Poulin]] was awarded the [[Prix Gilles-Corbeil]] (informally known as the "[[Nobel Prize in Literature|Nobel]] québécois").
+==Translations==
+''Volkswagen Blues'' was translated into English by [[Sheila Fischman]] and published by [[McClelland & Stewart]] in 1988 and subsequently re-issued by Cormorant Books in 2002.
 ==See also==
@@ Line 36: / Line 44: @@
 ==External links==
-*[http://www.ledevoir.com/2008/11/04/214065.html Prix Gilles-Corbeil («Nobel québécois») 2008 announcement] {{fr icon}}
+*[https://www.ledevoir.com/2008/11/04/214065.html Prix Gilles-Corbeil («Nobel québécois») 2008 announcement] {{in lang|fr}}
-[[Category:1984 novels]]
+[[Category:1984 Canadian novels]]
 [[Category:Canadian French-language novels]]
 [[Category:McClelland & Stewart books]]