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Roberval is a picturesque town of 10 000 inhabitants located in Canada (in the province of Québec)  Visitors are sure to find an enchanting environment and a warm welcome in this safest of cities situated directly on the shores of majestic lake Saint-Jean Roberval promises an enjoyable stay with the legendary hospitality and openness of its people toward visitors Let’s remind that the city has been cheering swimmers from around the world each summer since 1955 with the annual presentation of the legendary Traversée internationale du lac St-Jean the Traversée’s OC has successfully staged many FINA events in Roberval Among them : the Long Distance Swimming World Cup in 1992 the 6th FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships in 2010 an annual leg of the FINA UltraMarathon Swim Series (32 km) since 1999 and also one of the FINA Marathon Swim World Series (10 km) since its beginning in 2007 Roberval comes alive and sways to the rhythm of activities sur-rounding the open water competitions Numerous  cultural and family-oriented events allow the local population and visitors a chance to celebrate the event while having fun The Roberval region is renowned for its rich francophone cultural heritage and a variety of beautiful and surprising touristic attractions This article was published more than 2 years ago Kevin Lambert adapts the work of Jean Genet to the climes of a Quebec logging community.Gregory Augendre-Cambron/Supplied If the title of Kevin Lambert’s Querelle of Roberval rings any bells It’s a direct homage to Jean Genet and his 1947 novel Querelle of Brest – a work perhaps best known in the non-Francophone world for a 1982 Rainer Werner Fassbinder film adaptation starring Brad Davis The Montreal writer takes the tribute further too: Shifting the scene from a port city in Brittany to a logging town in northern Quebec reimagining the original’s vision but respecting his essence he shows himself a worthy heir to Genet’s project of giving the public morality of the day a thoroughly subversive seeing-to “a dirty little muddle of bungalows and two-story commercial units that gnaw away at a portion of the Lac Saint-Jean shoreline”– has drawn underemployed twentysomething Querelle from Montreal with the prospect of employment in the town sawmill but he soon finds himself a central participant in a bitter strike albeit in ways they can’t quite fully grasp; and matter-of-factly gay in a setting where such things still can’t be spoken of openly a place where he can apply his rare combination of physical and interpersonal skills to seeming perfection By day he is a valued co-worker and fearless comrade in the labour struggle too – he exploits his sexual prowess by satisfying the taboo urges of the town’s middle-class sons As if to separate the committed readers from the merely curious Lambert opens the novel with some especially explicit gay sex tableaux (Not for nothing did this book’s original French-language edition win the Marquis de Sade Prize.) A few pages in the main narrative begins with a scene where picketing strikers suddenly become violently ill and it is assumed a higher-up in the mill’s management is responsible is no mere dispute over wages and work conditions; it’s a battle for the soul of Roberval indeed for the town’s very existence as a working community as opposed to just a quaint backdrop for the incoming waves of lakefront-property hogging gentrifiers In a place where class divisions couldn’t be more stark and the moneyed have the clear upper hand Querelle himself doesn’t dominate the novel to the degree that might be implied by the title; this is a cross-sectional portrait of a place with multiple characters given their turn as the focus few will forget the unnamed and barely socialized trio of midteen boys – a rough antecedent might be the avenging Moroccan beach kids of Tennessee Williams’s Suddenly Last Summer – who show themselves quite happy to carry out strike-related dirty work to help finance their shared crack addiction the point at which all strands of Lambert’s rich plot intersect With two very different worlds on a collision course and loose cannon Querelle in the middle the tension ratchets up to a scarcely bearable point Here is where Lambert fully earns the company of his invoked forebears – Genet the teller of inconvenient truths in whose work tragedy unfolds with the inexorability of a change in the seasons seamlessly rendered in English by Donald Winkler meets all the demands of an ambitiously structured work His default mode is a spare voice describing extreme things with a reined-in economy With equal facility he can go full-on granular – a detailed description of the logs-to-lumber process should be dull but somehow isn’t at all – or big-picture poetic taking off on flights of numinous lyricism zooming out from what has been a scene of extreme violence “the enormous cumulus clouds are like castles in the air shifting structures whose architecture is boundless run through with hidden rooms and secret passages.” and you’d have a handy capsule review of Querelle of Roberval Expand your mind and build your reading list with the Books newsletter. 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For more information on our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines and our Terms and Conditions Arts Features It’s been almost 500 years since Marguerite de la Rocque de Roberval Being a wild woman—the kind of wanton lady who dared take a lover on a transatlantic journey in 1542 Her story of survival became the stuff of legend and has inspired numerous artists over the years a fictionalized account of de la Rocque de Roberval’s time marooned on the so-called Isle of Demons and it’s also the basis of Severn Thompson’s Dora Award–winning stage adaptation of the same name “I’d never heard that any European women came over in the first few journeys with the colonists and explorers,” Thompson tells the Straight over the phone from Toronto and she was drawn to Glover’s reimagining of de la Rocque de Roberval’s experiences “His exploration of this story was so inventive and the character itself that he created—there was something about her and her humour and the fact that she was written as quite a misfit….She’s not perfect by any means but her imperfection makes her quite human and relatable.” In addition to adapting Elle for the stage She says she’s mindful that the role never falls into the troubling category of colonizer heroine; rather Thompson sees Marguerite as simply having a thirst for adventure really came over without any expectations of settling in,” Thompson says Marguerite’s desire for excitement is something to which Thompson relates—along with her questioning nature which led her to search beyond the standard fare offered to a woman of her social standing at that time even with Marguerite’s many imperfections and relative lack of practical skills almost everybody around her died (both in real life and in the book/play) “I imagine if I was out there I would feel very similar in having very few skills that would see me through to survive in the wild “I also felt a kinship with her sense of humour when things went wrong And they do go wrong a lot for her; it is just this sense of the humour and I certainly have used that at times to keep me going.” It keeps Marguerite going even though the punishment was so out of proportion to the alleged crime The “get thee to a nunnery”–style slut-shaming was to leave this young woman stranded on an island Simply because she engaged in consensual sex and was seemingly unapologetic about it “And we’re still going through that,” Thompson says reflecting briefly on how the puritanical values of the 1500s echo through to the present day “What I love about her is she can’t help herself She does have some sense of guilt for religious reasons but she has such a strong drive to live and to explore her sexuality and everything She’s very impulsive and it’s interesting to see somebody like that Elle runs from Wednesday (February 8) to February 18 at the Firehall Arts Centre Your hair was short-cropped and dyed orange Warning: This story contains details about residential schools some may find disturbing Finding unmarked graves of what are believed to be 215 children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in B.C but it also got many other survivors to share their stories an Innu man who found peace after several years of torment Boivin is a survivor of the Pointe-Bleue residential school north of Roberval, Que. Of the provinces 10 residential schools, Pointe-Bleue was the last to close permanently. At the age of six, Boivin was enrolled at Pointe-Bleue, where he stayed until the age of 12. He remembers fearing the priests dressed in all black, crosses hanging at their side. It was only the beginning of a life spent in institutions. “At 12 years old, I was dysfunctional. From 12 to 18, I was in foster homes and institutions. At the age of 18, it was prison. So I told myself, ‘Time to go.’ I’m fed up of this place, so I’m leaving,” Boivin told APTN Nouvelles Nationales. “I ended up in the big city – Montreal. I didn’t even know where it was, but I headed there. After that, I ended up in Vancouver and the states with other Indigenous folks from there. After his release from prison, Boivin was homeless for 17 years. But eventually he was able to transcend his demons and his experience at Pointe-Bleue. At the age of 35, following a third attempt at suicide, Boivin decided to get reacquainted with his Innu roots. Today, Boivin is the owner of a flourishing business. He draws from his past experience to help others in his community of Mashteuiatsh. “I will never forget it. But I have to forgive it,” he said. “That’s what forced me to grow, in a sense.” A National Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support to former students. This 24-Hour Crisis Line can be accessed at: 1-866-925-4419. Signup to our newsletter and receive this week's top stories every Saturday morning. Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience Article contentTickets: from $23 at firehallartscentre.ca or 604-689-0926 a French noblewoman is abandoned on a deserted island off the coast of Newfoundland just in time for winter Elle tells the story of Marguerite de La Rocque de Roberval’s survival in the Canadian wilderness through veteran Canadian stage and television actor Severn Thompson who adapted Douglas Glover’s eponymously titled 2003 Governor General’s Award-Winning novel received the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play (2015/2016 season) Q: Was Douglas Glover involved in bringing this version of his novel to the stage Get top headlines and gossip from the world of celebrity and entertainment By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc The next issue of Sun Spots will soon be in your inbox Interested in more newsletters? 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A: He’s been able to answer questions along the way He didn’t really want to get too involved in reading earlier drafts Just before we started rehearsals I sent him the full draft The first thing I did was the first 20 minutes as part of a small theatre festival in Toronto Q: Elle opens with the main character engaged in what one review called “frantic fornication.” Was that also part of that early version Q: Were you looking for something to turn into a play It made that journey of the passage to Canada did you do much research into Canadian history around that time There was so much research that was in the novel but I tried to find out more about that early time period Just not having heard of Marguerite was incredible I think people on the East Coast tend to know a little more about her because she’s a bit closer to their history but even then I think she’s often a footnote in a textbook I definitely did more research and tried to look into the writing of the time about Canada so some of that research found its way into the play Q: What is it about Marguerite that you think contemporary audiences relate to I find that in depictions of women in history often they’re not allowed much of a sense of humour Often that’s the case for men in historical contexts as well And she doesn’t ever see herself as victim CLICK HERE to report a typo transmission or republication strictly prohibited This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. 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By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy You can manage saved articles in your account 1) 0ms;transition:background-color 150ms cubic-bezier(0.4 1) 0ms;transition:fill 120ms cubic-bezier(0.4 1) 0ms;font-size:inherit;}.css-v4v4rs{-webkit-user-select:none;-moz-user-select:none;-ms-user-select:none;user-select:none;width:1em;height:1em;display:inline-block;fill:currentColor;-webkit-flex-shrink:0;-ms-flex-negative:0;flex-shrink:0;-webkit-transition:fill 120ms cubic-bezier(0.4 1) 0ms;font-size:inherit;}@media (min-width:0px){.css-v4v4rs{display:block;}}@media (min-width:1100px){.css-v4v4rs{display:none;}}.css-mps3fk{-webkit-user-select:none;-moz-user-select:none;-ms-user-select:none;user-select:none;width:1em;height:1em;display:inline-block;fill:currentColor;-webkit-flex-shrink:0;-ms-flex-negative:0;flex-shrink:0;-webkit-transition:fill 120ms cubic-bezier(0.4 Over 13,000 people have been displaced by fires this week Many were housed north of where Girard owns a home in Roberval which is about a five-hour drive to the northeast of Montreal including a young family with a one-year-old child About 800 people arrived in Roberval Wednesday Because families like the Girards opened their doors only about 35 were sent to stay in the designated emergency shelter Avalanche players are familiar with the destruction wrought by wildfires. One of the most destructive fires in Colorado's history burned through the Denver area in December 2021, damaging and destroying more than 1,000 buildings who is signed through 2026-27 with the Avalanche recorded six goals and 31 assists in 76 games for Colorado during the 2022-23 season MontrealnewsThe McGill University Health Centre is getting a helipad By Lillian RoyPublished: March 01, 2024 at 4:53PM EST Twitter feed ©2025 BellMedia All Rights Reserved intended to happen when he marooned Marguerite on an uninhabited Canadian island women have been told to make themselves smaller Some have used that idea to their advantage a disappearance was the end to their stories but the beginning of a new chapter in their legacies This month we’re telling the stories of these women: we’re talking about disappearing acts Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan Original theme music composed by Miles Moran See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 1);}.css-4hf0t5:focus{outline:none;}.css-4hf0t5:hover{border-color:rgba(215 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information Complete accuracy is not guaranteed..css-1dcehgl{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;background-color:#FFFFFF;border-radius:0.3rem;display:block;height:35rem;overflow-wrap:anywhere;overflow-y:auto;padding:1.8rem;white-space:pre-line;width:100%;}.css-1dcehgl .podcast-transcription-speaker{font-weight:bold;}Speaker 1 (00:03):Hello from Wonder Media Network women have been told to make themselves smaller,to diminish themselves Some have used that idea to their advantage,disappearing into new identities a disappearance was theend of their stories but the beginning of a newchapter of their legacies we're telling the stories(00:25):of these women a Frenchship sailed away from a remote island along the coastof modern day Canada sailors could makeout the figures of three people standing on the shoreline.The captain had spoken the crew was leaving a young(00:46):woman and her two companions behind on the unsettled island,with its wild beasts and foul weather but somehow one of them survived.Let's talk about Marguerite de la Raque We don't knowmuch about Marguerite's personal history except that she was bornin the early sixteenth century in France We also know(01:09):that she was related to Jean Francois de la Roque,a powerful noble in the French court he was morecommonly referred to by his title Sieur de Roberval Roberval captained of voyage to a colonyin present day Quebec but her presence on board(01:30):the ship ended in scandal Roberval discovered Marguerite was havinga secret affair with a young man aboard whose identityis not known Roberval condemned his young relative's promiscuity anddelivered a harsh punishment He ordered his crew to rowMarguerite and her handmaid Demienne out to an unsettled islandon the Saint Lawrence River Rumors swirled that theplace was evil and haunted and Robervl wha all wasmarooning Marguerite and Damienne there with no plan to ever return.As the crew prepared to leave the two women behind stranded,Marguerite's lover leaped off the boat to join her in exile.(02:15):Other stories speculate that he forced his way off theship against Reberval's wishes Another theory is that he wasforced at gunpoint to join his paramour and banishment he left three behind with onlysome food and a few firearms to aid them in survival.(02:38):It was a desperate situation even in the summer months.The island was cold by evening Unfamiliar wild animals howledfuriously at night and the small party fought wirelessly to(03:00):keep them at bay Their days were spent scouting aroundrock pools for fresh water and foraging for food Marguerite'slover built a signal fire to alert any passing shipsto their presence she held on(03:21):to hope that they would be rescued and she andher lover could raise their newborn together back in France,But as their baby's birth approached the young man fell ill.With no medical attention and so little food the two women continued to struggle againstthe harsh climate Marguerite learned to hunt with the guns(03:43):left behind by rubber val bringing down caribou and bearsfor sustenance an extra mouthto feed became an even greater strain Now just Marguerite was(04:04):left to try and keep her baby alive Marguerite buriedall three of the souls that had ended up onthe Isle of Demons She was sure she'd die on theisland as well With no one left to dig her grave,(04:27):she continued to hunt wild game dressing herself in furand skins for warmth she fought off predatorsin the dark by herself more than two yearsinto her exile on the Isle of Demons As the boat drew nearer,(04:47):the crew on board must have thought she was oneof the demons said to haunt the island ragged and hungry and dressed in animal skins,But no The fishermen took her on board,and Marguerite sailed with them back to France Against all odds,(05:10):she had refused to disappear into the Canadian wilderness Marguerite'sstory of survival was recorded by two contemporaries Their versionsremain the clearest pictures we have of what Marguerite experiencedon the island but both tales were likely influenced byher banisher Roberval's perspective and were not edited by Marguerite herself,(05:35):so it's hard to know what details were changed The tale has been retold and fictionalizedmany times throughout history but the full story of Marguerite'sexile remains a mystery we're not sure exactly which present day Canadianisland it was All month we're talking about disappearing acts.(05:58):For more information find us on Facebook and Instagram atWamanica Podcast special thanks to Liz Kaplan powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com If you've ever wanted to know about champagne Join me on this podcast as I navigate the murky waters of human behavior and personal anecdotes through in-depth interviews with incredible people—all served with a generous helping of sarcasm and satire After years as a forensic and clinical psychologist I offer a unique interview style and a low tolerance for bullshit quickly steering conversations toward depth and darkness I honor the seriousness while also appreciating wit I’m your guide through the twisted labyrinth of the human psyche Go to the Subscriptions Centre to manage your: but he pursued a career as a chef in Montreal and Quebec City he earned a little notoriety in New York City for daring to create a cheesecake made with Quebec cheddar cheese he returned to his roots - back to Roberval - to open up a fine-dining restaurant, where they feature regional produce and cuisine Carl Murray will be preparing a regionally-inspired meal tonight at the festival in Montreal CBC Radio-Canada Goodman memorializes de la Rocque de Roberval and her remarkable valor through masterful writing reminding the 21st century that strong women have always broken down barriers in the face of misogyny Allegra Goodman’s “Isola” asks these questions through the trials of Marguerite de la Rocque de Roberval Marguerite is controlled by the whims of her guardian leading her away from home to urban France onto a ship and eventually leaving her stranded on a desert island “Isola”is an empowering exploration of femininity and loneliness while also paying homage to the wild savagery of flora and fauna author of “Sam,”stumbled onto the novel’s inspiration in an account of explorer Jacques Cartier’s travels to Canada “Isola”is inspired by the true story of Marguerite de la Rocque de Roberval a 16th century French noblewoman who personally experienced these trials and tribulations Just two contemporary accounts of her ordeal remain which inspired Goodman to bring her story to the 21st century her uncle Roberval becomes her guardian and her nurse Damienne acts as a mother figure Roberval is an explorer of the “New World” and Marguerite watches helplessly as he squanders her inheritance waiting in vain for him to marry her off so she can escape his clutches he instructs her to travel with him to New France she falls in love with Roberval’s secretary marooning the happy couple and Damienne on a desert island Marguerite is forced to abandon her ladylike habits and manners fighting off polar bears and surviving an unforgiving winter for two years while her nurse and her betrothed wither away Despite its perpetual disheartening nature It is long enough to faithfully respect each part of the story yet short enough that Marguerite’s perspective does not become suffocating Goodman manages to avoid unnecessary convolution but keeps it complex in setting and theme Goodman paints an expansive world of 16th century France without getting bogged down into detailed questions of religion fitting the era without being impossible to understand giving the reader a god-like point of view This sense of divinity is emphasized by a 21st century knowledge of places like Canada and Marguerite’s 16th century perspective on the island’s plants and animals encapsulate a forgotten They give the reader a glimpse into what the world once looked like “The Course of Empire,” ripping Marguerite from the urban landscape of “Consummation of Empire,”to the untamed frontier of “The Savage State.”  the grand questions of isolation and femininity feel contemporary five centuries later Marguerite’s experiences seem almost incomprehensible in the 21st century but her emotions sparked from this adventure still ring true today Her isolation seems never-ending and her love for her companions is overwhelming — loneliness and love are clearly ingrained in the human experience the book falls into the trope of “she-ro fights the patriarchy” which is due to the uncompromising morality of Marguerite while her guardian is endlessly antagonistic Marguerite and the other forces of good have flaws: too honest this could be due to Goodman’s access to limited source material and a valid urge to honor the true bravery of de la Rocque de Roberval “Isola” breathes life into a forgotten history redefining isolation as a chance to prove your worth Email notifications are only sent once a day We're an independent student-run newspaper and need your support to maintain our coverage Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: NY -- It was June 2011 when Daniel Scoville and Chris Koberstein ventured out onto Lake Ontario off Oswego in search of a sunken ship named the Roberval “The Roberval was going from Cape Vincent to Oswego carrying wood to a company in Oswego that made matchsticks,” Scoville said Four people died and four floated until they were rescued.” While the pair were excited to search for the Roberval they came upon a shipwreck no one knew was there found a sunken scow schooner named the Shannon the crew boarded a small sailboat and with one oar paddled their way back to the Port of Oswego The schooner sank in about 500 feet of water who have searched for shipwrecks throughout Lake Ontario for 10 years The weather the day they went shipwreck hunting was too poor to go out as far as they thought the Roberval was buried “So we decided to go not so far out and we might find some other ship,” Scoville said They used the remotely operated vehicle Scoville made while he was a senior at Rochester Institute of Technology sending the ROV down to check out the floor of the lake it was picking up “the unmistakable image of a shipwreck.” They went back to the Shannon site in July 2012 and took numerous photos Scoville said the schooner was in good shape and items such as anchors and pullies could be seen vividly “This ship wasn’t even on the radar — we hadn’t heard of it before,” Scoville said Thursday from his job in Houston “Now we have to go back and see what else was lost in this area.” Scoville said the Shannon and other ships in the area are too deep to dive to so all images are done with the remotely operated vehicle He said he and Koberstein had researched many ships that had sunk in the Oswego area (there are about 20) “One of the exciting things about this hobby is you never know what you’ll find,” he said Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices Macau (MNA) – The University of Macau (UM) announced this Tuesday that the director of its Research Centre for Luso-Asian Studies has been appointed as the institutional coordinator of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Chair of Language Policies for Multilingualism “‘This is the opportunity to bring closer the chair institutions based in Asia and with a focus on China/Macau and Brazil contexts and relations,” Mr who is also an assistant professor from the Department of Portuguese also stated the UM team will propose projects that will deal with a set of contemporary issues in language