« Intriguing and poetic … with the delicate skill of a painter, Fortier presents a beautiful homage to art and its creation, as well as the humanity and life that inevitably rub off on the page or the canvas. »
The Island of Books
Au XVᵉ siècle, un peintre en deuil se réfugie au Mont Saint-Michel et découvre, malgré son illettrisme, la magie des manuscrits. Une ode poétique à la création, à la résilience et à l’amour des livres, entre ombre et lumière.
A rich portrait of the beauty of words painted by a 15th-century illiterate scribe.
A 15th-century portrait painter, grieving the sudden death of his lover, takes refuge at the monastery at Mont Saint-Michel, an island off the coast of France. He haunts the halls until a monk assigns him the task of copying a manuscript though he is illiterate. His work slowly heals him and continues the tradition that had, centuries earlier, grown the monastery's library into a beautiful city of books, all under the shadow of the invention of the printing press.
Dominique Fortier has a gift for making insightful connections between seemingly distant ideas, creating patterns that, at the end of the novel, leave you with the impression that everything is connected, both logically and supernaturally.
Set in an improbable fortress in the middle of the sea, her fourth novel explores the to and fro of love and creation. With writing that is both graceful and honed, The Island of Books gives love, maternity and particularly books the mystery that is their due.'Jean-Marc ValleÌ*e
Throughout these emotional rescues in the high seas, Dominique Fortier's writing is carried on a rich, beautiful and evocative language. The recurrent use of words from old French adds a patina that is appropriate for this journey filled with touching, illuminating moments Dominique Fortier plunges into the depths of human paradox and emerges with a love of books that she shares with grace and generosity.'
La Presse (translated from the French)
Dominique Fortier's writing is at once sensitive and interesting, moving and spare. It reveals a man blinded by pain who tells us his story of love, his distress and the light of the smile of a young woman. A book written in quiet emotionthat makes for good reading as the wind makes the autumn leaves rustle.'
Au fil des pages (translated from the French)
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A 15th-century portrait painter, grieving the sudden death of his lover, takes refuge at the monastery at Mont Saint-Michel, an island off the coast of France. He haunts the halls until a monk assigns him the task of copying a manuscript though he is illiterate. His work slowly heals him and continues the tradition that had, centuries earlier, grown the monastery's library into a beautiful city of books, all under the shadow of the invention of the printing press.
Dominique Fortier has a gift for making insightful connections between seemingly distant ideas, creating patterns that, at the end of the novel, leave you with the impression that everything is connected, both logically and supernaturally.
Set in an improbable fortress in the middle of the sea, her fourth novel explores the to and fro of love and creation. With writing that is both graceful and honed, The Island of Books gives love, maternity and particularly books the mystery that is their due.'Jean-Marc ValleÌ*e
Throughout these emotional rescues in the high seas, Dominique Fortier's writing is carried on a rich, beautiful and evocative language. The recurrent use of words from old French adds a patina that is appropriate for this journey filled with touching, illuminating moments Dominique Fortier plunges into the depths of human paradox and emerges with a love of books that she shares with grace and generosity.'
La Presse (translated from the French)
Dominique Fortier's writing is at once sensitive and interesting, moving and spare. It reveals a man blinded by pain who tells us his story of love, his distress and the light of the smile of a young woman. A book written in quiet emotionthat makes for good reading as the wind makes the autumn leaves rustle.'
Au fil des pages (translated from the French)
shield_question Frequently Asked Questions
The Island of Books est une plongée dans l’univers envoûtant du Mont Saint-Michel, où un peintre en deuil trouve la guérison en copiant des manuscrits, malgré son illettrisme. Ce roman célèbre la beauté des mots, la force de la création et la résilience face à la perte. Dominique Fortier y mêle histoire, poésie et réflexion sur le passage du temps, offrant une expérience de lecture à la fois intime et universelle.
Le roman explore plusieurs thèmes profonds : le deuil et la reconstruction, la puissance des livres et de l’écriture, la transition entre l’artisanat des manuscrits et l’invention de l’imprimerie, ainsi que la quête de sens à travers la création artistique. L’île du Mont Saint-Michel devient un personnage à part entière, symbole de refuge et de mémoire.
Ce livre séduira les amateurs de littérature historique, de récits poétiques et de réflexions sur l’art et la création. Il touche aussi ceux qui s’intéressent à la psychologie des personnages, à la philosophie de l’écriture et à l’histoire des livres. Son style évocateur et son rythme contemplatif en font une lecture idéale pour les lecteurs en quête de profondeur et de lyrisme.
Avec la fonctionnalité de chat, vous pourrez interroger le livre sur : les symboles récurrents (comme l’île, les couleurs, les mots anciens), les liens entre les personnages et leur époque, les techniques de copie des manuscrits, ou encore les parallèles entre la création artistique et la guérison. Vous pourrez aussi demander des éclaircissements sur les références historiques ou les choix narratifs de l’autrice.
newsmode Revue de presse
« Dominique Fortier plonge dans les profondeurs du paradoxe humain et en ressort avec un amour des livres qu’elle partage avec grâce et générosité. »
« Fortier’s prose is intricate and precise, especially when describing beauty through visceral language. The island of books – its cloisters, scriptorium, almonry, and ossuary – and the mystery it inspires are wholly engrossing and vivid. »
tag Keywords
mont saint-michel
roman historique
xvᵉ siècle
peintre
deuil
manuscrits
imprimerie
résilience
création artistique
littérature québécoise
dominique fortier
livres anciens
moines copistes
île
moyen âge
renaissance
amour impossible
poésie
mémoire
traduction littéraire
canada
québec
littérature francophone
artisanat du livre
guérison par l'art
symbolisme
fiction historique
bibliophilie
écriture créative
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