The Old Man and the Child

Gabrielle Roy · Dominique Fortier

La Montagne secrète

About this ebook

Christine lives in a small windswept prairie city where time moves slowly. One morning, at the height of a hot, dry summer, she befriends an old man who lives just a few streets over. As their unlikely friendship grows, they hatch a plan to visit Lake Winnipeg—a vast inland ocean the old man longs to see again and the young girl can only imagine. A QR code printed in the book gives access to a recording online of the narrated story.

About the author

Gabrielle Roy (1909-1983) is one of the most prominent figures in French Canadian literature, and considered one of the great contemporary writers on the human condition. She is the first Canadian to win France’s Prix Femina, for the debut novel "Bonheur d’occasion." The translation ("The Tin Flute") won the Governor-General’s Award in 1947. She was awarded a Canada Council Medal in 1968.

Novelist Dominique Fortier holds a Ph.D. in literature from McGill University and is also a respected editor and literary translator. Her novel "Au péril de lamer" (2015) won the Governor General’s Award for French fiction and her essay "Maisons de papier" (2020) was awarded the prestigious Prix Renaudot in France. She lives in Montreal.