The cultural boom that Quebec experienced at the heart of the Quiet Revolution, propelled among others by the reforms of Guy Rocher, will have contributed, during at least the thirty glorious years and a little after, to the hoarding of a considerable mass of cultural property . Academics, intellectuals, artists and writers began to buy, in line with their thirst for knowledge and their reading ambitions, a phenomenal quantity of titles and treasures of rare editions.
Claudia Larochelle explores how books make us grow and evolve as a society in the documentary Read to live, broadcast on Savoir media. In short, do we still need to remember the importance of books for the intellectual training of all? Sometimes our times seem to forget this.
But what are we going to choose for the future of all these libraries, what will be the fate of this phenomenal quantity of books which will be bequeathed to the next generations? As examples, here are four real-life cases.
Bertrand Laverdure helped a friend, upon the death of her partner, an intellectual and poet, to sort through the immense library he had left her. She wanted to sell part of it, so it was a question of directing her to the right authorities. Indeed, at this stage, a person who wants to sell an entire library of this size may have to deal with unscrupulous second-hand booksellers who offer an eye-watering amount.
When the bookstore offered a price, Bertrand Laverdure strongly suggested that his friend refuse. When purchasing the lot, the bookstore did not take into account the price of some bibliophilic rarities, which should have increased the general estimate. And if this friend had wanted to bequeath this library, who should she have contacted and what could have been offered to her?
In the movie Francoeur. We finish off the rockers well, co-directed by Virginie Francoeur, we discover the library of her parents, the writers Lucien Francoeur and Claudine Bertrand. More than 15,000 books line the walls, serving as a sanctuary of creation, where each work represents a collective imagination. All styles come together: poetry, novel, short story, essay, theater, comic strip, art book, rare counter-culture collection, etc. Behind the beauty of this collection lies a delicate question: what will happen when Lucien Francoeur and Claudine Bertrand are no longer there to watch over their literary treasures?
Their books, carefully collected over the decades, constitute a unique heritage and bear witness to a profound transformation of our society. The decision on the future of this library goes beyond the simple question of the emotional charge and the physical space it occupies. It is also a reflection on memory, cultural heritage and the transmission of knowledge. Would it be possible to transform their library into a museum that will pay tribute to them?
We no longer count the people preoccupied by their desire to pass on the tens of thousands of books accumulated by their fathers or mothers, professors, writers, intellectuals here. A few weeks ago, Christine Germain (poet), the daughter of Jean-Claude Germain, playwright, historian and essayist, expressed on Facebook her dismay as to what she was going to be able to do with her father’s considerable library.
Mr. Germain is not on the verge of death, but the question of the transmission of the bibliophilic riches that he will ultimately leave to posterity arises concretely. The University of Montreal has acquired the library of the writer Michel Beaulieu. There are writer’s funds in the national archives, the Ferron fund for example. But more will have to be done.
In this regard, let us recall the thorny issue surrounding the destiny of the library of the Union of Quebec Writers (UNEQ), bringing together an invaluable collection of Quebec titles from members of the history of the institution, i.e. a library which was undoubtedly set up at the founding of the organization, in 1977. In short, a library of several thousand titles to be relocated.
The relocation or promotion of all these collections will soon pose a problem for archival institutions in Quebec.
Should we open private libraries which would allow users to visit these fabulous collections as part of an agreement with regional libraries? Create annexes to libraries or expand the premises of the national collection at the Bibliothèque et Archives nationaux du Québec?
Would it be possible to select the bibliophilic treasures from all these collections and share them with readers here and elsewhere? To enrich the existing collections in the network of public libraries in Quebec?
Or should we provide cultural centers with places that can accommodate all these books? Can we imagine a Book Museum with an exploration of different literary genres?
Given the way in which our built heritage is generally treated, we remain perplexed as to the political will to address this future problem which is looming on the horizon: that of the treatment and preservation of the libraries of intellectuals, writers and local artists who have contributed to shaping our cultural heritage for future generations.