The publication of this novel, Godbout's first, was seen as a watershed event in French-Canadian literary history: The Aquarium broke out of the mold of the literary traditionalism and realism that had been dominant until then, and it is generally hailed as having inaugurated the nouveau roman in Québec. The action is set in an unnamed third-world country on the brink of independence, and the plot centers around a group of tense expatriates residing in the Casa Occidentale.

Jacques Godbout was born in Montreal and obtained an MA from the University of Montreal. He is an award-winning filmmaker, producer, and scriptwriter, and the author of numerous fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and children’s books. His novel Salut Galarneau! won the 1967 Governor General’s Award for Fiction. He joined the National Film Board of Canada in 1958.

Jacques Godbout's profile page

Bilal Hashmi is Executive Director and Publisher of Quattro Books. He currently serves as President of the Literary Translators' Association of Canada/Association des traducteurs et traductrices littéraires du Canada.

Bilal Hashmi's profile page