Jean-Louis Trudel

Q-1.

What country/ethnicity/culture do you identify yourself with?

 

A-1.

​

For most purposes, I identify myself as a Canadian. Canada is a pluralistic country, so this does not mean that I identify myself with a single ethnicity or culture. Indeed, I am also a citizen of France and part of my cultural identity is firmly rooted in French soil. My ancestry ties me to Canada’s aboriginal peoples, so that I feel an affinity or sympathy for the Algonquian cultures and some of their worldview. Since I am fluent in French and English, I am more or less at home in the cultures of Canada, France, the United States, and the British isles.​

​​

Q-2.
 

SF/F/Horror/Slipstream genre has always been dominated by Anglo-American language. Is Anglo-American genre fiction is your major influence?
 

A-2.

​

It is my major fictional influence. However, my fiction is nevertheless deeply shaped by my scientific background and research, by my political convictions, and by the fact that I tend to work most often within the publishing structures of French-speaking Canada and France. To some extent, the sum of the latter may actually outweigh the influence of Anglo-American genre fiction.

​​

Q-3.
 

Give us the ratio of your reading of Anglo-American fiction against your own or non-English literature. Currently.
 

A-3.

​

Currently, I would estimate that percentage at no more than 5-10%. It is worth noting that it has been much higher in the past.

​​

Q-4.
 

To our dismay, a lot of so called World things are actually American ones. From Baseball's World series to our genre's Worldcon (almost) or World Fantasy Awards. How can we correct it to its real structure, into the real chaotic world?
 

A-4.

​

​The only way to really reflect the world, or at least some of the major science fictional cultures of the world, would involve creating and financing fairly cumbersome and bureaucratic structures that would formalize the input of a variety of countries and cultures, while financing the travel expenses, translation budgets, and interpretation services that would be needed. In other words, something like the UN would have to get behind it. Absent such an initiative, I don’t think it is feasible to achieve something that reflects the “real structure” of the genre internationally. But that shouldn’t keep us from working to establish links between different countries.

Q-5.

Yet, it's true that we're culturally much influenced by American pop culture. Haruki Murakami cannot write like he does now without his American literature and Jazz influence. Is it the same for your case? Can you imagine you write without that influence at all?
 

A-5.

​

Yes, I can imagine writing without the influence of American pop culture. I am a heir to other cultures whose breadth and wealth are sufficient to feed any writing career. However, if the Anglo-American genre tradition did not exist, I would write very differently.

​​

Q-6.
 

But these days a lot of young writers and editors work in English language and for American market. Do you hold any grudge against working like this? Or is it a natural reaction to that influence?
 

A-6.

​

I have written and published in English, though mostly in Canada. I do not begrudge writers who want to do the same and target the American market any of their success. I do regret that some of them eschew writing in their own language, though.

​​

Q-7.
 

If and when you have to write in English, do you do that to English-American readers, or to the global readers?
 

A-7.
 

Most of the time, my writing in English addresses North American readers because they are the ones I know best.

​​

Q-8.

Is there any works or writers from your local scene you can sincerely recommend to the world readers? And why do you recommend them? Is it because they have no equivalent works or writers in Anglo-American scene? Or is it because they perfectly fit there and have many things in common that we should share? Which do you think is important, originality, or affinity?
 

A-8.
 

My reasons for recommending such works would vary, depending on the person. I might recommend some of Daniel Sernine’s works because they are a unique reflection of a Québécois viewpoint. On the other hand, I might recommend the fiction of Yves Meynard (a Canadian francophone who writes in English almost as much as he writes in French) and Élisabeth Vonarburg (born in France, settled in Canada) because their stories and/or their writing are on par with the best of what’s written elsewhere. Both do share recognizable affinities with Anglo-American genre fiction, but I would recommend them for what they bring to the table that is original and unique.​

​​

Q-9.
 

Have you ever read and liked any Japanese works, in and out of our genre? What aspect of it attracted you?
 

A-9.
 

The answer is yes. Part of the appeal lay in the discovery of another culture and history, mostly through novels and short stories. Part of it came from the uniquely driven storytelling found in some mangas and anime.

​

Q-10.
 

Could you please explain what you do to promote foreign literature to your readers or your own works to foreign readers?
 

A-10.

​

I have reviewed French-language fiction in Locus (a long time ago) and elsewhere. I have talked about it at conventions and I have organized conventions that invited foreign authors. I have translated some French-language works into English. And I write some of my own fiction in English, in addition to having translated some of it.