National Library News July 1998 Vol. 30, no. 7-8

From the Rare Book Collection...

by Michel Brisebois,
Rare Book Librarian, Research and Information Services

Albert Laberge, 1871-1960. La Scouine. [Montréal]: Imprimerie modèle, 1918. 134 p. Wrappers.

It is only since the 1963 publication of Gérard Bessette's Anthologie d'Albert Laberge that the name of this author has become familiar to the general public. Eccentric and anticlerical, a pessimistic writer in the tradition of French Naturalism, Albert Laberge had everything to attract a posthumous following. His popularity has also spread among bibliophiles because all his works were published in very limited private editions.

Albert Laberge was born in 1871 on a farm in Beauharnois, near Montreal. After completing some classical studies, he became a journalist at La Presse, a position he held from 1896 until his retirement in 1932. Surprisingly, this lover of literature and the arts worked as a sports writer, and later as an art critic. Between 1899 and 1917, he wrote the various episodes of his novel La Scouine, and published parts of it in different newspapers such as La Semaine. After La Semaine was accused of anticlericalism by the Archbishop of Montreal, Mgr Bruchési, the newspaper had to fold, and Laberge's book was attacked on the grounds of immorality. In 1918, the novel was published privately in an edition of only 60 copies, each numbered and signed by the author. An English version became available in 1977, under the title Bitter Bread.

Today, La Scouine is considered to be the first Naturalistic novel published in French Canada. It is the story of different members of the Deschamps family, and takes its title from the meaningless nickname, "La Scouine", given to one of the daughters, Paulina. In a series of scenes loosely held together, Laberge describes the ugliness and hardships of country life, and depicts the tragic lives of cruel, unattractive characters.

Albert Laberge (from La Scouine).

It was only after his retirement in 1932 that Laberge was able to continue his literary career, publishing works between 1936 and 1955. In all, he published 14 books, mostly collections of short stories and tales. Today his most sought-after works, aside from La Scouine, are his memoirs and critical essays, such as Peintres et écrivains d'hier et d'aujourd'hui (1938), Journalistes, écrivains et artistes (1945) and Propos sur nos écrivains (1954). Laberge died in 1960 in his Montreal home, surrounded by his books and paintings. The majority of Laberge's papers are held at the University of Ottawa.

The National Library of Canada owns two copies of La Scouine, one being from the André Marchand donation. This novel is certainly one of the rarest of all Quebec literary works of the 20th century.