Friday, September 11, 2009

New book by Norman Beaupré - English translation of La Souillonne

The long dramatic monologue, La Souillonne, by Norman Beaupré, became so popular that many people who could not understand French asked the author if there was to be an English translation. At first, he found that translating his work would be a most difficult task since translating the Franco-American dialect is a real challenge. However, once he got into it, he realized that he could do it, and do it well. He managed to translate his play with similar language that ordinary folks use in their everyday activities that characterizes the language of la Souillonne. The play was performed in France in October 2008 : Paris, Dijon and Angers. It was also performed in Lamèque, N.B., Lewiston and Biddeford, Maine.

La Souillonne is a very ordinary person with an extraordinary sense of humor coupled with a keen ability for observation. She is a former mill worker and has lived in the same neighborhood, the same parish, for some fifty-nine years. She knows the people of her surroundings, their quirks, their ways of thinking and speaking out, and especially their way of life. Her anecdotes range from mill stories, old beliefs, washings and cleaning, things in nature, the old button can, to her own story and the love of her life, Willy. La Souillonne’s way of telling things is direct and without embellishment. She likes to open up her heart to people, the result of which is this long monologue, as she sits in her kitchen telling her stories and talking about herself and others while giving her thoughts on her own experiences in life.

To learn more about the author, visit his website at www.nrbeaupre.com/