About the Book:

The character of the Souillonne was taken from Norman Beaupré’s first novel, Le Petit Mangeur de Fleurs, an autobiographical novel that came out in 1999. The author found so fascinating the figure of a marginalized woman carrying on her shoulders the burden of destiny, at times exhausting and at the same time invigorating, that he made her the protagonist of a dramatic monologue, not unlike that of Antonine Maillet’s La Sagouine. In fact, the Souillonne can be considered the Franco-American Sagouine. The Souillonne reveals, through her stories, a life full of setbacks, low self-esteem, and friendships preserved in the depths of her very soul. Rooted in unshakeable common sense, much like the people who are used to daily toil (such as mill workers), the Souillonne’s way of telling things is direct and, at times, harsh. She pours out her heart and expresses, in no uncertain terms, her view of things. This dramatic monologue was performed in Paris, Dijon, and Angers, as well as in Lamèque, N.B., Lewiston, and Biddeford, Maine.

About the Author:

Norman Beaupré is a native of Maine of American parents but of French-Canadian ancestry. He obtained both a masters and a doctorate in French literature from Brown University. He is presently Professor Emeritus at the University of New England where he taught for over thirty years. He writes both in French and in English. In all, he has published eleven literary works including his latest novel in English based on the life of Van Gogh in Arles and an anthology of tales and stories in French with ten collaborators. He was decorated with the Order of Arts and Literature by the French government in 2008 for his outstanding contribution to French culture.