French translation of the first Inuit novel written by a woman

 
French translation of the first Inuit novel written by a woman

The International Laboratory for Research on Images of the North, Winter and the Arctic, in collaboration with the University of Greenland and within the framework of its cooperation with the Greenlandic Authors Association (Nunatta Atuakkiornermut Allaffia Kalaallit Atuakkiortut ataanni) announces the publication in the “Jardin de givre” series of the Presses de l’Université du Québec of the French translation of the novel by Mâliâraq Vebæk, La rencontre dans le bus.

This publication of the work, first published in Greenlandic (Kalaallisut) in 1981, marks a major milestone in Indigenous literary history. The first Inuit novel written by a woman, this narrative sheds light on the social and colonial inequalities that characterize relations with Greenland. Vebæk offers a reflection on identity and exclusion, where social realism unfolds in dialogue with dreams and memories, in a voice firmly rooted in the Greenlandic experience.

Mâliâraq Vebæk is not trying to entertain her readers. Rather, she wants to confront them with the tragic, yet very real, situation of some desperate and destitute Inuit women in large cities, whose stories are rarely told. The encounter on the bus reveals the silences imposed on women and the invisible struggles of those who live on the margins. Through her political lucidity, the author invites us to reflect on the Northern imagination, colonialism, and gender. This French translation provides access to an essential voice, both intimate and universal, from the Arctic world.

With an introduction by Kirsten Thisted, Professor at the University of Greenland and the University of Copenhagen, and a presentation by Daniel Chartier, Professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal. Translated from Danish by Inès Jorgensen.
 

Article in French by Louis Cornellier in Le Devoir on March 28, 2026 about this novel.

For more information (in French) on this book.

For more information on this author.

For more information (in French) on the “Jardin de givre“ series.