Histoire du Manitoba français : de Gabrielle Roy à Daniel Lavoie (1916-1968) / Jacqueline Blay (Saint-Boniface, Man. : Éditions des Plaines, 2016)

This book is volume 3 of the series on the history of the French Manitoba published by Les Éditions du Blé / Les Éditions des Plaines and it covers 1916-1968, the period defined by existence of the Association d’éducation des Canadiens français du Manitoba (Manitoba French-Canadian education association), the organization that made possible teaching French language in Manitoba’s schools during those 50+ years when it was prohibited by the provincial government, thus saving the culture from becoming extinct.

Jacqueline Blay tells the history of Manitoba’s French-speaking minority using two levels of narrative that complement each other: the history of the community as a whole (through the archival documents) and individual biography of two of Manitoba’s most prominent cultural figures of the 20^th century, Gabrielle Roy and Daniel Lavoie (as they tell it in their own words in books and exclusive interviews). I agree with the author’s idea that it's through the extraordinary biographies that one can see the major issues of a region with most clarity.
 

Certainly, in this book one discovers a history of a "pays calme" (“quiet land”). Instead of wars, revolutions and assassinations the history of Manitoba in the 20^th century seems to be made of mostly pieces of paper and talking. But make no mistake, the most compelling drama here is happening on the inside, the drama of the culture desperately trying to survive, and of human efforts to preserve it, the drama of the 50 years of quiet and steady resistance. The biographies of Roy and Lavoie demostrate this clearly: both obviously are a testimony to the resilience of the Manitoban French culture, but ironically, both had to actually leave Manitoba to be able to realize themselves as Francophones.

The researcher's effort and the work with primary sources are truly impressive. At times the narrative is on the dry side, but the individual stories in the book are very moving, one clearly sees all those determined priests and struggling teachers carrying out their mission in god-forgotten places... Yes, bravery also comes in the form of a steady effort, a continuous labor of love. Just like the labor of creating the Histoire du Manitoba français. Bravo to the author.