Mai at the Predators’ Ball

(House of Anansi Press; distributed by HarperCollins Canada. English translation of Mai au bal des prédateurs by Marie-Claire Blais (Les Éditions du Boréal) )
(ISBN 978-1-77089-005-3 )

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Summary

In this swirling fresco, a gang of boys morphs into heavenly creatures. At the Porte du Baiser Saloon, they slip on colourful dresses and outrageous wigs to put on a show, a celebration of freedom and transgression. Fifteen-year-old Mai makes uncensored observations on femininity and youth, freedom and constraint belie her age.

Jury Statement

What Nigel Spencer has achieved with the translation of Marie Claire Blais’s Mai au bal des prédateurs is nothing short of brilliance. He has met the formidable challenge of conveying in English the complexity and richness of this narrative with a mastery that is stunning in its range of colour and tone.

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Biography

Nigel Spencer has given English Canadians the opportunity to discover the works of some of Canada’s finest Francophone writers. He wins his third GG award in 2012 with Mai at the Predators’ Ball, his fourth translation in the current novel-cycle by literary icon Marie-Claire Blais. He has also worked as an actor, journalist and teacher of literature, theatre and African Studies. He was an advisor to the Minister of Education of the Republic of Guinea and in 1987, received a Proclamation of Recognition for this work from the country’s president. Nigel Spencer grew up in London, England and in Montréal, where he currently lives.