Marie-Claire BLAIS

Marie-Claire Blais, novelist, playwright and poet, has been an important figure of the French literary scene for more than thirty-five years. Her first novel, La Belle Bête was published in 1959 and has become a classic teaching tool in Québec. Since then, she has published about 20 novels in Québec and France, which have all been translated into English, as well as seven plays and four poem collections. She also wrote the screenplay Le Journal en images froides and contributed to the script of the documentary Tu as crié let me go by director Anne-Claire Poirier. A few of her novels have been brought to film or television. All of her plays are available in English translations by Nigel Spencer and other translators at Cormorant Press. They can be found in The Collected Radio Drama of Marie-Claire Blais, (Cormorant Press, Toronto, Fall 2005); and in Plays for Stage and Television, (same publisher, January 2006). Marie-Claire Blais won several prestigious awards, including the "Prix Médicis" (France), and was decorated with the "Order of Canada" and the Ordre national du Québec. She was made Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres de France and by being a member of the Académie royale de langue et de littérature française de Belgique, she became the first Québec author to be part of an European literary society.
(Photo : Marc Drolet) – 2009-01-13

 
Icon Legend
When available, click on the image to learn more about the publication , the cast , the set or other 's activities around the play.
Titles in alphabetical order
A Clash of Symbols A Couple Black Town or A Garden in the Storm Exile Fever Ghost of a Voice Invader Murmurs The Execution The Island The Ocean Two Fates Vanished Wintersleep
 
Black Town or A Garden in the Storm More about the publication
  English translation by Nigel Spencer. Published by in The Collected Radio Drama of Marie-Claire Blais, Cormorant Press, Toronto, 2007.
  (dans Textes radiophoniques, avec sept autres textes, Boréal, 1999).
Running time
  30 minutes
Cast
  1 M and the voices of 5 W and 6 M  More about the cast   More about the the suggested set
Synopsis
  The action takes place in Key West, in a garden, where a young delinquent struggles with terrible pain due to his drug addiction.
Excerpt
  « NICOLAS: Man sitting in a chair, head already shaved the night before, wrists tied and hurting, but he don’t say nothin’, oh no—who’s to hear—he shudders something crazy, then stiffens and dies, iron chair, steel chair blackened with tears, nobody sees, nobody hears, it’s all behind bars. »

 
The Island More about the publication
  English translation by David Lobdell. Published by Oberon, Ottawa, 1991.
  Original title: L'île (dans Théâtre, avec quatre autres pièces, Édition du Boréal, 1998).
Running time
  1 hour 30
Cast
  22 characters (9 W, 13 M), can be played by a reduced cast
Synopsis
  A group of men and women gather on an island of beaches, sun and sea, like castaways stranded for life and death. Whether they are white or black, young or old, inside or outside the mainstream, they share the same destiny on this isle besieged by all the scourges of modern society: racism, AIDS, indifference... The island becomes the mirror image of our society where there are no guarantees and everything has to be negotiated. Yet even in this barren place, tenderness and compassion sometimes alleviate the gloom and bring moments of joy.
Excerpt
  « TONY: Look, Robert, they're all closed: the hotel, the restaurants, the terraces. Are they planning to shut down the entire island? (Echoes of joyful laughter.) They've even closed that magnificent garden where we used to drink and dance all night. You remember, the waiters served us in shorts and white knee socks… laughing, insolent, golden faces, streaming with sweat… innocence… innocence… no flower will ever grow again in that garden… the gate is locked… nothing left now… like the silent aftermath of a war… / ROBERT: Eric, Donald, Vic, Réjean… / TONY: Nothing will grow here again… it's all over… »

 
Wintersleep More about the publication
  English translation by Nigel Spencer. Published by in Wintersleep, Ronsdale Press, Vancouver, 1998; in The Collected Radio Drama of Marie-Claire Blais, Cormorant Press, Toronto, 2007.
  Original title: Sommeil d'hiver (dans Théâtre, avec quatre autres pièces, Les Éditions du Boréal, 1998).
Running time
  1 hour
Cast
  7 W, 5 M
Synopsis
  A dead or dying man disintegrates spiritually amid the voices of unfulfilled possibilities from those around him. A blend of medieval morality play and Beckett-like malaise and regret for the modern loss of humanity and feeling.
Excerpt
  « Man's Voice is heard singing again: Beware. A little sleep, | and God fools you. | Beware. Beware. | Be on your guard. / DEAD MAN: Someone will come. I never despair. Yes, I hear footsteps... / Rapid steps are heard outside. / DEAD MAN: Ah, school kids, I suppose. They can't see me, but we played together once. All those seasons wasted on my bed of pain! Why was that? »

 
Exile More about the publication
  English translation by Nigel Spencer. Published by Rampike, 1997; Wintersleep, Ronsdale Press, Vancouver, 1998; The Collected Radio Drama of Marie-Claire Blais, Cormorant Press, Toronto, 2007.
  Original title: L'exil (dans Textes radiophoniques, avec sept autres textes, Les Éditions du Boréal, 1999).
Running time
  45 minutes
Cast
  1 W, 1 M
Synopsis
  A couple in a strangely numbed no-man's land try to find some fresh impetus to their lives, further provoked by the surreal visit of a stranger.
Excerpt
  « SHE: You have got to tell me how long... how much longer we must live in this country. Fifteen years is such a long time to be away from our people...so far away and among strangers, fifteen! (Then, as if her husband had slammed his spoon on the table to impose silence, or perhaps share a secret code) Alright, I know...I'll try to put up with them, just as you've done, but you have got to understand I haven't got the same patience or selflessness. And above all, I certainly do not want to die here. You know...you know perfectly well, a simple slip of the tongue, a flash of rebelliousness, anything, and it's all over tomorrow... tonight, or whenever. / HE: Patience is a strength that brings its own rewards. / SHE: Patience cannot comfort you if you feel alone and desolate. / HE: Surely you don't feel alone with so many friends from all over the world dropping in non-stop? / SHE: Oh, yes, they come and tell us about a joy of living we no longer know a thing about. Then they leave, often for good. »

 
Ghost of a Voice More about the publication
  English translation by Nigel Spencer. Published by Canadian Theatre Review, Fall 1994; Ronsdale Press, Vancouver, 1998; in The Collected Drama of Marie-Claire Blais, Cormorant Press, Toronto, 1974, 2008.
  Original title: Fantôme d'une voix (dans Théâtre, avec quatre autres pièces, Boréal, 1998).
Running time
  45 minutes
Cast
  1 W, 1 M
Synopsis
  A former singer and her husband reflect on the loss of her self-expression and that of women everywhere and the impact on their individual and collective lives.
Excerpt
  « HE: Everything is silent and peaceful on this mountain... and you're nearby.... Of course it's been hard sometimes, but never in all these years together have I felt you waver from me... Why so quiet? / SHE: This magnificent scenery, I was looking at it too. All these years together, difficult, but always together, despite it all. Sort of a miracle, I suppose, but perhaps a miracle others would be afraid of. It's late. The sun's going down, and he goes on working. Why such insistence to the very end? If I tell him to rest, he'll tell me that Mozart followed the score of The Magic Flute on his deathbed. He's been giving me that answer for years. His passion, music, our passion, our love, our bond, as well as our rivalry. And we're still here, still together and devoted to one another in our own way, shy and fierce. Yes, it is peaceful here, and at last we have time for ourselves... dangerous maybe. »

 
Murmurs More about the publication
  English translation by Nigel Spencer. Published by in The Collected Radio Drama of Marie-Claire Blais, Cormorant Press, Toronto, 2007.
  Original title: Murmures (dans Textes radiophoniques avec sept autres textes, Éditions Quinze, 1977, épuisé; Éditions du Boréal 1999).
Running time
  45 minutes
Cast
  1 W, 1 M  More about the cast   More about the the suggested set
Synopsis
  Swiming in a river, Judith talks about the fragility of her life with her brother Luc who is listening carefully. Sound and language are delicately and subtly interwoven as reflections of different levels of sensibility.
Excerpt
  « LUC: Can you hear the frogs? I’m always going to be sorry I was cruel to these little things once upon a time. / JUDITH: You, cruel? No, I don’t believe it. / LUC: Oh, there are ways and ways to be cruel… / JUDITH: Speaking of cruelty–though you may not know a thing about it– don’t think I didn’t know the hurt I caused you that night I jumped into the river…even as I let myself slip to the bottom, I couldn’t let go of your face, your eyes, and most of all, your voice. I thought that last murmur of life would go down with me, and now I’m appalled that I caused so much distress to someone like you… »

 
The Ocean More about the publication
  English translation by R. Chamberlain. Published by in Exile, vol. 4, n° 3-4, 1977; in FORSYTH, Louise Anthology of Contemporary Québec Plays by Women in English Translation, Playwrights Canada Press, 2005 .
  Original title: L'océan (dans Théâtre, avec quatre autres pièces, Les Éditions du Boréal, 1998).
Running time
  1 hour 30
Cast
  4 W, 3 M and 4 children (2 G, 2 B)
Synopsis
  A famous writer has died. His three children are reunited in their father’s house near the sea. François, the father’s favourite, defends the writer’s spiritual and material legacy, contested by Simon and Maria. Flashbacks reveal quarrels not easily forgotten.
Excerpt
  « SIMON : He thinks we've invaded his castle, but as far as I'm concerned he'll be the one invading ours… (Pause.) It's good to be together again here at home, Maria. We'll have lots of time. The whole summer, if you like… »

 
A Clash of Symbols More about the publication
  Written in collaboration with Marthe Blackburn, Nicole Brossard, Odette Gagnon, Luce Guilbeault, Pol Pelletier, France Théoret.
  English translation by Linda Gaboriau. Published by Coach House Press, Toronto, 1977; in FORSYTH, Louise Anthology of Contemporary Québec Plays by Women in English Translation, Playwrights Canada Press, 2005 .
  Original title: La Nef des sorcières (Éditions Quinze, 1976, épuisé; l'Hexagone, Typo, 1992).
First production
  The Alumni Theatre (Toronto), 1978
Running time
  2 hours
Cast
  6 characters (6 W); can be played by 1 W
Synopsis
  Because "personal is political", six women of different ages and backgrounds share with us a hidden, repressed part of their daily lives. Six monologues, six voices, six styles, six writers. Each monologue can also be performed individually.
Excerpt
  « Excerpt from the soliloquy Marcelle by Marie-Claire Blais (A Clash of Symbols) MARCELLE : Poor Lise but why this need to mistrust life and worst of all this need to prove to yourself that you are the strongest, the stronger of the two. Freer. More independent. More… Why this struggle? »

 
A Couple More about the publication
  English translation by Nigel Spencer. Published by in Wintersleep, Ronsdale Press, Vancouver, 1998; in The Collected Radio Drama of Marie-Claire Blais, Cormorant Press, Toronto, 2007.
  Original title: Un couple (dans Textes radiophoniques, avec sept autres textes, Boréal, 1999).
First production
  Broadcast on Radio-Canada, 1975
Running time
  45 minutes
Cast
  1 W, 1 M
Synopsis
  A young couple reflect on their aimless and lives and lost moments of idyllic happiness…as well as the lost innocence of the world around them.
Excerpt
  « JEAN-PIERRE: Everything needs some structure. That's what you don't seem to realise! / FRANÇOISE: You even talk like them, too! No, Jean-Pierre, we can't let that happen. When you talk about our kid's life, it really hurts me. What you're saying is: he's born, he grows up, then one day he gets old and dies. That's so dull! How can you ever feel life with such a shrivelled-up heart? I say: we've brought a kid into the world --maybe a mistake-- but what can you do except your best to give him a life? The sun, the universe, let's show him all that. / JEAN-PIERRE: You're still overflowing with poetry. / FRANÇOISE: No, just realities different from yours. I believe in what I can feel and see. When the sun warms me up, I don't think about the night. You're too complicated to breathe in and smell things. Hey, we've still got a free night before the baby comes back. Why don't we go out? We could dance the night away like we used to. »

 
Fever More about the publication
  English translation by Nigel Spencer. Published by in Wintersleep, Ronsdale Press, Vancouver, 1998; The Collected Radio Drama of Marie-Claire Blais, Cormorant Press, Toronto, 2007.
  Original title: Fièvre (Édition du jour, 1974, épuisé; réédité dans Textes radiophoniques, Boréal, 1999).
Running time
  45 minutes
Cast
  1 W, 1 M
Synopsis
  A woman with explosive energy and discontent in a torrid climate engages in a monologue which barely shifts into dialogue with her husband, a representative of the rich, bored, blasé occidental world she has come to despise.
Excerpt
  « MAN: I do believe we're happy. / WOMAN: Yes, oh yes. / MAN: I hope you don't mind too much... / WOMAN: Mind what? / MAN: You know, over there. / WOMAN: The misery? / MAN: I guess so. I hope it doesn't stop you from relaxing just the same. / WOMAN: His sun-gilt face then closes again and becomes just a head tilted against the chaise-lounge...like a casket. Is that what is meant by a face bathed in happiness? »

 
Invader More about the publication
  English translation by Nigel Spencer. Published by in The Collected Radio Drama of Marie-Claire Blais, Cormorant Press, Toronto, 2005.
  Original title: L'envahisseur (dans Textes radiophoniques, avec sept autres textes, Boréal, 1999).
Running time
  30 minutes
Cast
  1 F, 2 M  More about the cast   More about the the suggested set
Synopsis
  A fable of goodness and evil, this is the story of a very kind and generous man, Joseph, who is dispossessed of his land, his wife and his much-beloved son by a passing stranger who has taken up his offer of hospitality and food. Is good-heartedness a tenable virtue or is it just stupidity and lack of clear-sightedness?
Excerpt
  « PASSERBY: And what do you read in my face? / MARTHE: Nothing good. You're young on the outside, but it's like age has started wearing you away on the inside. / PASSERBY: So, what you're seeing is decay and rot. What you're smelling is death then? / MARTHE: That 's what it is. I can tell you're going to take advantage of my husband's kindness, and I hate you for it. / JOSEPH: Marthe, now, for God's sake, why get so worked up. I'm quite able to look after myself. / MARTHE: No, no you can't. You're just not smart enough. Look, mister, for starters, what's your name? Where're you from? »

 
Two Fates More about the publication
  English translation by Nigel Spencer. Published by in The Collected Radio Drama of Marie-Claire Blais, Cormorant Press, Toronto, 2005.
  Original title: Deux destins (dans Textes radiophoniques, avec sept autres textes, Boréal, 1999).
Running time
  45 minutes
Cast
  1 W, 3 M  More about the cast   More about the the suggested set
Synopsis
  Having been partly forced into marriage by the pregnancy of the woman who came to his aid after his suicide attempt, Jacques appears to have forgotten the old dream of being a writer, along with his talent and his desires. During an evening spent in the company of an old friend who puts his new life on trial and tries to redeem him, Jacques is confronted with what might have been his true suicide. His wife has contributed to his continuing numbness in order to hang onto him, and Jacques has faded away as his dreams are replaced by nightmares.
Excerpt
  « CHRISTINE: Gilbert, this whole conversation is atrocious! Jacques is alive and I love him, love him devotedly, hopelessly even. Isn’t that right, Jacques? / JACQUES: He drags all these nasty truths out of us, and he’s delighted when we suffer through one another. / GILBERT: Tomorrow, when I’m gone, this will all be forgotten. The storm will have blown over, and oh how happy you’ll be! Just a few jarring notes left ringing in the ear or in Jacques’ heart… / JACQUES: Booze, now there’s your culprit. I should have been little more careful. Christine, you don’t really believe those things you said, do you? I mean about the corpse and all that. You don’t really think that, eh? »

 
Vanished More about the publication
  English translation by Nigel Spencer. Published by in The Collected Radio Drama of Marie-Claire Blais, Cormorant Press, Toronto, 2007.
  Original title: Le disparu (dans Textes radiophoniques, avec sept autres textes, Édition du Boréal, 1999).
Running time
  45 minutes
Cast
  1 F, 3 M  More about the cast   More about the the suggested set
Synopsis
  The departure (disappearance) of the youngest son of a middle-class family badly shakes the vision of the world held by one of his brothers, a doctor, like their father. The older son wonders if he should follow the family dictates and live for the service of others, or just follow his instincts for liberty and individualism, like the one who is missing. His quest involves discussions with his parents and with the brother who has returned temporarily.
Excerpt
  ROBERT: See, you've still got the same friends. / GÉRARD: I'm not as demanding as you are. I like anyone I talk to, who talks to me / ROBERT: You never choose, do you? Don't you ever think about what kind of people they are? / GÉRARD: No, when you look for people's qualities, you come up empty. It means loving within certain laws and conditions. That's not how I love. / ROBERT: Look, I have no idea what's happening to me. I can't love anyone since you've left us. I wish I could just change my skin, but I guess I'm not strong enough. »

 
The Execution More about the publication
  English translation by David Lobdell. Published by Talonbooks, Vancouver, 1976.
  Original title: L'exécution (Éditions du Jour, 1970; dans Théâtre, Boréal, 1991 avec quatre autres pièces).
First production
  Firehall Theatre, The Alumni Theatre (Toronto), 1978
Running time
  2 hours
Cast
  3 W, 17 M  More about the cast
Synopsis
  Two boys in a private boarding school plot the murder of another student. Lots are drawn and the victim chosen. Goaded on by Kent, Stephane commits the murder. Kent then tries to convince the student body and the school administration that the murder was really committed by two other students, Lancelot and D’Argenteuil. Finally, Stephane confesses to the crime and is sent to jail along with the falsely accused students while parents and school authorities try to get at the truth. The Execution is a study of innocence, evil and complicity.
Excerpt
  « KENT: Now you're talking sense. Bring the hat, Christian. (Stéphane hesitates for a moment before drawing a slip from the hat. Standing behind him, Kent watches him impatiently.) Well, is it so difficult? / STÉPHANE, closing his eyes: There, it's done. (Pause.) I won't read it. / KENT: Read it, Christian Ambre. »

 
PLAYS AVAILABLE AT CEAD (Some notes in French may appear below)
  Désirs [2007] (suivi de Petites éternités perdues, sous le titre de Noces à midi au-dessus de l'abîme et autres textes dramatiques, Les Éditions du Boréal, 2007)
Petites éternités perdues [2007] (précédé de Désirs, sous le titre de Noces à midi au-dessus de l'abîme et autres textes dramatiques, Les Éditions du Boréal, 2007)
Noces à midi au-dessus de l'abîme [2005] (in Noces à midi au-dessus de l'abîme et autres textes dramatiques, avec Désirs et Petites éternités perdues, Les Éditions du Boréal, 2007)
Un jardin dans la tempête [1989] (dans Textes radiophoniques, avec sept autres textes, Boréal, 1999)
L'île [1988] (dans Théâtre, avec quatre autres pièces, Édition du Boréal, 1998)
Sommeil d'hiver [1984] (dans Théâtre, avec quatre autres pièces, Les Éditions du Boréal, 1998)
L'exil [1981-1984] (dans Textes radiophoniques, avec sept autres textes, Les Éditions du Boréal, 1999)
Fantôme d'une voix [1980] (dans Théâtre, avec quatre autres pièces, Boréal, 1998)
Murmures [1977] (dans Textes radiophoniques avec sept autres textes, Éditions Quinze, 1977, épuisé; Éditions du Boréal 1999)
L'océan [1976] (dans Théâtre, avec quatre autres pièces, Les Éditions du Boréal, 1998)
La nef des sorcières [1975] (Éditions Quinze, 1976, épuisé; l'Hexagone, Typo, 1992), in collaboration with Marthe Blackburn, Nicole Brossard, Odette Gagnon, Luce Guilbeault, Pol Pelletier, France Théoret
Deux destins [1971-1974] (dans Textes radiophoniques, avec sept autres textes, Boréal, 1999)
Fièvre [1971-1974] (Édition du jour, 1974, épuisé; réédité dans Textes radiophoniques, Boréal, 1999)
L'envahisseur [1971-1974] (dans Textes radiophoniques, avec sept autres textes, Boréal, 1999)
Le disparu [1971-1974] (dans Textes radiophoniques, avec sept autres textes, Édition du Boréal, 1999)
Un couple [1971-1974] (dans Textes radiophoniques, avec sept autres textes, Boréal, 1999)
L'exécution [1967] (Éditions du Jour, 1970; dans Théâtre, Boréal, 1991 avec quatre autres pièces)
TRANSLATIONS AND ADAPTATIONS
  Antigone [2005], translation of The Burial at Thebes - Sophocle's Antigone


 
PLAYS NOT YET TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH (Running time: 1 hour and more. Written and produced in French since 2000. Some notes in French may appear below)
  Désirs [2007]
Published by suivi de Petites éternités perdues, sous le titre de Noces à midi au-dessus de l'abîme et autres textes dramatiques, Les Éditions du Boréal, 2007.

Running time: 1 hour 20
Cast: 1 W 2 M
A man in his sixties who suffers from a poor health condition has an affair with a young Sicilian man while his wife is away. She surprises them when she returns unexpectedly, and then tries to reason the old man who is torn between his two loves and his two lives.

Petites éternités perdues [2007]
Published by précédé de Désirs, sous le titre de Noces à midi au-dessus de l'abîme et autres textes dramatiques, Les Éditions du Boréal, 2007.

Running time: 1 hour 20
Cast: 4 W
In a ravaged garden that used to attract beautiful birds, women from three generations express their pain without being able to understand each other. While the youngest woman is a mute, the daughter and the friend try to convince the mother to part with the matriarch.

Noces à midi au-dessus de l'abîme [2005]
Published by in Noces à midi au-dessus de l'abîme et autres textes dramatiques, avec Désirs et Petites éternités perdues, Les Éditions du Boréal, 2007.
First production in French: L'Eskabel, (Trois-Rivières), November 2005
Running time: 1 hour 10
Cast: 5 W 7 M
On the beach of an island where the poor and the rich rub shoulders, several couples celebrate their wedding under the hot noon sun. Men and women of various origins unite their destinies. But little by little, a strange and threatening feeling tarnishes their joy.