Les Soirées canadiennes
Soirées canadiennes, Les
Les Soirées canadiennes was a magazine founded in 1861 by H.R. CASGRAIN, A. GÉRIN-LAJOIE, F.A.H. LaRue and J.C. Taché, which published assorted "collection[s] of national literature" in monthly instalments. Les Soirées canadiennes followed the spirit of James Huston's Le Répertoire national (1848-50) and welcomed all original writing as long as it was Canadien: legends, poetry, studies of society, novels (which were serialized), travel accounts, historical sketches, biographies, topographies, etc.
It attracted such writers as P.J.O. CHAUVEAU, Octave CRÉMAZIE, J.B.A. Ferland, Louis-Honoré FRÉCHETTE, François-Xavier GARNEAU and Étienne PARENT. Five volumes appeared, 1861-65. A dispute with the printers in late 1862 provoked a break between Taché and the others, who quit Les Soirées to found an equivalent publication, Le Foyer canadien. It appeared until 1866, publishing 4 annual collections, 4 bonus volumes for subscribers and 5 other works, including Les Anciens Canadiens and Mémoires by Philippe AUBERT DE GASPÉ. The so-called "Literary Movement of 1860" revolved around Soirées and Foyer.
Garneau, François-Xavier
François-Xavier Garneau's Histoire was read as a national epic and a monument to "la survivance", lithograph (courtesy Library and Archives Canada/C-6721).
Author RÉJEAN ROBIDOUX
The story of the founding of Montreal is perhaps unique in history....
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