Over the next few weeks, The duty offers a foray into the shelves of unique independent bookstores rooted in their community to discover the stories, dreams and favorites of those who carry them at arm’s length. Today, the Saga bookstore, the only bookstore in Quebec specializing in imaginary literature.
It’s easy to walk past the Saga Bookstore without noticing. Tucked away in the semi-basement of a building containing a large daycare center and an old Italian café, in the borough of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce in Montreal, the tiny shop stands out in this street which serves more car traffic than window shopping.
This does not prevent hundreds of science fiction enthusiasts, fantasy and horror of crossing the city, Quebec or even the border to get your hands on the treasures that hide on the shelves of this bookstore specializing in imaginary literature; the only one of its kind in Quebec. On the shelves, in addition to the greatest successes of the genre, are some curiosities, such as these strange and horrifying books by the Hungarian author Attila Veres, or this collection of Gothic texts published at the beginning of the XIXe century in women’s magazine The Lady’s Monthly Museum.
“Each time I travel to a big city — Paris, New York, Stockholm, Toronto — I find an imaginary bookstore, which serves as a meeting and exchange place for a whole community of readers, raises Mathieu Lauzon -Dicso, bookseller and founder of Saga. To me it was nonsense that there were none here. In 2019, my husband Ilya and I finally decided to go for it. We had a vision of a workplace where we would feel good, valued, far from the constraints of the current market, where we could take care of ourselves and our mental health. »
Challenging beginnings
Even if the enthusiasm for the project is immediate – the two lovers are quick to open a pop-up store on Sherbrooke Street, where they sell used books, receive donations from the neighborhood and hold events that make fans run and the book community — life is quick to remind them that the profession of bookseller is nothing short of a novel.
In March 2020, as they prepare to move into permanent premises for good, the Quebec government decrees a first confinement. “In less than 24 hours, we had to transport boxes and boxes of books to our apartment. The living room has become a packing space. In a few weeks, we created a Web store from our inventory, mainly used, which we labeled manually. We have developed an online community. We sold our books directly to users, and I drove from morning to evening, from Saint-Jérôme to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, from Verchères to Beauharnois, to deliver orders. »
In August, to manage large orders from teachers for the start of the new school year, Mathieu Lauzon-Dicso and Ilya Razykov go through the classifieds looking for a place to store and pack the books, and allow customers to pick up their purchases. . On the Kijiji platform, they come across this semi-basement, owned by a couple of Italian tailors. “We barely understood each other, but it clicked. We signed the lease between us and we were able to store our stocks, then eventually renovate and open our bookstore, in December 2020.
Without people, a bookstore is just a place with books
The importance of community
A company that allows you to take care of yourself and your mental health? Not so much, then. But all that fuss was worth it. The passion, dedication and tenacity of the two accomplices have won the support and support of a community of faithful who are constantly growing.
“Without people, a bookstore is just a place with books. Mathieu Lauzon-Dicso speaks with emotion of this couple who met at the bookstore, and who regularly come to sit on the two chairs surrounding the window to chat. He also recounts his joy at having — by first offering him works by Toni Morrison, Gabriel García Márquez and Haruki Murakami — enabled a 75-year-old neighbor to fall in love with science fiction. “Now she’s a friend. I drive her to the vet when her cat needs care. Welcoming and listening are at the heart of what I want to offer to clients. I want them to feel included and safe in my bookstore. »
Inclusion, diversity and openness to others are also at the heart of Saga’s mission. On the shelves, Patrick Sénécal, Sylvie Bérard, Frank Herbert and Ursula K. Le Guin rub shoulders with queer books, Indigenous literature and Afrofuturism. “We don’t have shelves dedicated to the literature of diversity, and we don’t wait for an event or a thematic month to put them forward. They are everywhere, and at all times. »
This desire to build bridges is also reflected in the choice to offer a selection of books, events and a fully bilingual book club. “I am French-speaking and my husband is English-speaking,” says Mathieu Lauzon-Dicso. Over time, we learned to live and read in each other’s language, which opened so many doors for us. We wanted to create a place in this image, where there is no duality or linguistic conflict. Reading and being read in the other’s language is essential for understanding and getting to know each other. »
Are imaginary literatures more conducive to this inclusive, community and egalitarian vision that makes the heart of the Saga bookstore beat? “Science Fiction and fantasy can basically represent something other than reality. They are genres capable of modifying, working on, exposing, suppressing or otherwise showing inequalities and injustices. Authors have been doing this for decades. But beware, there have been and still are retrograde books that have served as racist or sexist propaganda. Fortunately, we see more and more authors of diversity who express themselves through another historical and cultural baggage, and explode the possibilities. »
Lovers of big happenings — one of the highlights of the bookstore is the organization, every other Friday, of a Sip Read, which allows people, including booksellers, to allow themselves the luxury of reading their own book or a copy borrowed from the shelves while sipping a drink of their choice — the owners hope one day to be able to open a larger, more central location , easier to access, especially for people coming from abroad. “I dream of Old Montreal. But I know the dynamics and the work would be completely different. In an ideal world, I would also like to keep my little bookstore in NDG, to continue to maintain this bond that unites us to the neighborhood. »