The New Brunswick Arts Board is an arm’s length arts funding agency with a legislated mandate to facilitate and promote the creation of art as well as administering funding programs for professional artists in the province.
Featured Artist Series – Édith Bourget
Thanks to a category A Creation grant, I wrote two novels for youth dealing with grief. Tu es partout où je suis is aimed at teenagers; Au chaud dans mon cœur, for beginner readers.
Catherine and her younger sister, Mélodie, each in their own way, tell the story of their brother David, who was killed by a motorist on a stormy night while riding his bicycle. With these texts, I studied and compared the way of telling the same story, while taking into account the age of the characters and the readers for whom it is intended. For the character of Catherine, the big sister, I used the diary form for the first time. This allowed me to highlight the raw emotions of the teenager who, in addition to losing her brother, is mourning a friendship. In this novel, I also give a voice to Lucie, the driver, devoured by guilt. For Mélodie, eight years old, I used an “I” narrative. The girl reveals her thoughts and questions. Her friend Zak will help her understand that her brother will always be in her heart. Little by little, in each of the texts, hope will return.
I dedicated my life to creation. It is where I am. Every day, I observe and question myself about life and the future. I expose what makes me tremble, rejoice or sad.
I write for all ages: albums, poems, novels and short stories. Each project is a challenge because each is built to explore less traditional methods of storytelling. Lately, I have been particularly interested in writing for teenagers. I deal with subjects related to what they experience, to what we all experience as human beings. I believe that my texts can accompany them on their journey by pushing their reflection on what they feel and on our world. I trust them, I trust their intelligence and their commitment. Comme un soleil ardent (Soulières éditeur, 2020, category A Creation grant in 2017) highlights the achievements of Laurent, a thirteen-year-old giant who wants to embellish his neighborhood. He will invite his comrades into this beautiful dream.
It is always a great pleasure for me to interact with young people on my school tours across Canada. I remember magical encounters where their questions forced me to reposition myself in relation to my opinions. Seeing them move, react, I knew that I had touched them. While writing is a difficult and solitary job, their reactions prove to me that I do not spend all those hours in front of my computer, wracking my brain in vain. Young people nourish my work. I hope that my texts help shed some light on our world. Over the years, I have addressed many themes. In Où est ma maison? (Éditions du soleil de minuit, 2019), I talk about immigration and integration. I feature a boy of Haitian origin born in Canada, an adopted Colombian and a Syrian refugee. Each has a moving story. A friendship is born between them. I wrote this book with the help of a Creation grant (category A). This novel was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Awards (GG) in 2019 in the young’s people litterature (text) category.
I dedicated my life to creation. It is where I am. Every day, I observe and question myself about life and the future. I expose what makes me tremble, rejoice or sad. I speak out hoping to touch hearts. I follow my instinct, my own path. I don’t hesitate to go outside my comfort zone. This is how I agreed to write Felix et le trésor de Morgäa (Bayard, 2020). This novel is the adaptation of an animated film created in Quebec by Productions 10e avenue. It is the publishing house that contacted me for this project in March 2020. The film will be in theatres in 2021. I also wrote my first horror novel, Des sorciers comme voisins (Soulières éditeur, 2022). Two publications are planned at Québec Amérique: Belle famille, Malik! (2021) and Au chaud dans mon cœur (2022), one of the two novels was written thanks to a grant from artsnb. These last two books will be illustrated in color.
In my head, ideas swirl and clash. What should I focus on for my next books? I will always want to talk about the beauty of the world. I would really like my words to encourage readers to protect our planet! This is undoubtedly my tiny contribution here below, with the garden that my spouse and I have created. A garden where I observe life, a source of inspiration.
