Revision and Translation

François-Marc Gagnon
Founding Director and Distinguished Research Fellow Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowsky Institute for Studies in Canadian Art

Sherry Simon
Professeure titulaire, Département d’études françaises, Concordia University

This ‘Afternoon at the Institute’ marks the muchanticipated publication of Paul-Émile Borduas: A Critical Biography, by François-Marc Gagnon, translated by Peter Feldstein. Originally published in French in 1978, this seminal work received the Governor General’s Award. Sandra Paikowsky, coeditor of the McGill-Queen’s/Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation Studies in Art History Series, proposed the translation when the Series was founded. For François-Marc Gagnon, this became the opportunity to update and revise his critical biography. This intellectual adventure, informed by the discovery of unknown works and advances in theory, has resulted in another monumental work, brought beautifully into English by Peter Feldstein.

The challenges of revision and translation are the themes of this conversation. The speakers are Dr. François-Marc Gagnon, founding Director and Distinguished Research Fellow Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowsky Institute for Studies in Canadian Art, and Dr. Sherry Simon, Professeure titulaire, Département d’études françaises, Concordia University. Moderator Samuel Gaudreau-Lalande will guide their discussion of the impact and importance of translation in the humanities.