Among the charts that bloom like flowers of the first real snow, that of the documents most borrowed from the Bibliothèque et Archives nationaux du Québec (BAnQ) has become a classic. Like an enchanted mirror, it seems to say to us “Tell me what you are borrowing, I will tell you what you are reading, who you are…” This year, Quebec novels have enjoyed remarkable popularity… but not among teenagers. Does this guarantee a literary future?
“The proportion of Quebecers among the most borrowed novels increased from 20% in 2018 to 50% last year and this year,” notes librarian Véronique Parenteau, in her post accompanying the list. “Will we see in 2024 novelists from here surpassing those from elsewhere? » she asks herself.
The success of Kevin Lambert seems to have served as a locomotive. May our joy remain, his third novel, Prix Médicis, is at the top. He is followed by The Alaska Sanders Affairby Joël Dicker, then by David Goudreault and Maple – A trashicomic thriller.
The other Quebec authors who slip into this top 20 are Mariana Mazza, Anaïs Barbeau-Lavette, Michel Tremblay, Catherine Ethier, Francis Ouellet, Michel Jean and Patrick Senécal.
Will tomorrow’s readers also be Quebecophiles? A doubt lingers… Albums for toddlers, often chosen by parents, draw a list almost entirely from Quebec, where Élise Gravel reigns. The Wolf and Oliver Jeffers (The extraordinary boy who devoured books) are the only “foreigners” to crack the top 10.
But when it comes to children’s novels, chosen by young people themselves, the ratio is reversed. JK Rowling counts seven titles among the 20 most borrowed novels. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney follows with three volumes. The classic Little Prince rises to second place. Only five Quebec authors manage to grab a place, and rather towards the bottom — Hélène Bernier, Marilou Adisson, André Marois, Maxim Cyr and Jocelyn Boisvert.
The list of essays and documentaries paints a rather amusing portrait of the BAnQ reader: he seeks to become a millionaire as much as to live frugally. Paradox? From zero to millionaire – Invest in the stock market without suffering, by Nicolas Bérubé is at the top, followed by the unbeatable The love billby Pierre-Yves McSween and Paul-Antoine Jetté. Freedom 45 And Retirement at 40respectively of Mr. McSween and Jean-Sébastien Pilotte, phagocytose the 6e and 8e position. This is followed by the book on inner freedom by Boris Cyrulnik, (The Plowman and the Wind Eaters) and in 10th place, Do more with less – Rediscover abundance through frugalityby Vicky Payeur.
As for comics, “for the fifth consecutive year, at least, Riad Sattouf’s series The Arab of the future remains very popular. The six volumes appear in the first 11 places,” remarks Véronique Parenteau.
“Of the 12 other cartoonists present in the list, ten are from Quebec,” continues the librarian. “Among them, Michel Rabagliati (three titles) and Jean-Paul Eid (in first position for a second year) remain the kings. » Dany Laferrière and Patrick Senécal, who we first know for their novels, slip into this count.
The ranking of digital books shows that we do not read the same thing in pixels as in paper. “Only five of the 20 most borrowed digital books in French are also present in this year’s paper book charts,” notes Véronique Parenteau. No digital audiobook has managed to make it to the tops. “Quebec authors also occupy a special place here: they are 10 out of 20.”