AMUN: A Gathering of Indigenoous Stories [Paperback]

In the Innu language, amun means “gathering.” Under the direction of Michel Jean, the Innu writer and journalist, this collection brings together Indigenous authors from different backgrounds, First Nations, and generations. Their works of fiction sometimes reflect history and traditions, other times the reality of First Nations in Quebec and Canada. Offering the various perspectives of well-known creators, this book presents the theater of a gathering and the speaking out of people that are too rarely heard. Included are original texts by Joséphine Bacon, Natasha Kanapé Fontaine, Naomi Fontaine, Virginia Pésémapéo Bordeleau, Melissa Mollen Dupuis, Jean Sioui, Alyssa Jérôme, Maya Cousineau-Mollen, Louis-Karl Picard-Sioui, and Michel Jean.

“Young or old, men or women, Innu, Huron-Wendat or Métis, the ten authors of Amun have one thing in common… they write to a certain extent with their blood: their stories resonate with personal dramas and a memory abused by centuries of oppression… Not surprisingly, the short stories in Amun lead one after the other to a rather sobering observation about the relationships between men and women. This reality ends up highlighting the strength of women – and in fact, women have written seven of the original short stories in this collection… [which represents] a means of expression as rare as it is necessary.” —Christian Desmeules, Le Devoir

Kathryn Gabinet-Kroois a translator who works for clients in the public and private sector. Her translations of four novels by Quebec authors have been published by Exile Editions, including her translation of Marc Séguin’sHollywood,one of five finalists for the Governor General’s Award for French literature in 2013. She is an active member of the Quebec Writers’ Federation and the Literary Translators’ Associatiolc)