Saint-Jean-Port-Joli (Québec) – On Thursday, April 29, 2010 at 5:00 pm, the launch of the new edition of the novel, L’Alouette affolée by Gilbert Boulanger will be taking place at the Museum of Living Memory. All of the public is invited to the launch which will be followed by a dedication.
A native of Montmagny, the veteran Gilbert Boulanger, member of the Alouettes Squadron 425 from the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War, will be in attendance to share his experience and to present his book, L’Alouette affolée, newly reedited, which tells the story of this war seen through the eyes of an adolescent.
Veterans from the area who shared their experiences in the Second World War earlier on in the day will also be present.
This activity is made possible with the collaboration of The Historica-Dominion Institute and The Memory Project: Stories of the Second World War, which documents first-hand accounts of Canada’s participation in this war. Mr. Boulanger’s experience, in addition to those of hundreds of other service men and women, will be published in both official languages on the website: www.thememoryproject.com.
The Museum of Living Memory is located at 710 Gaspé Avenue West in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli and is held in the reconstructed manor house belonging to Philippe Aubert de Gaspé, celebrated novelist and memorialist. For more information, please visit www.memoirevivante.org.
L’alouette affolée
Gilbert Boulanger is no ordinary man. As a member of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame, at 84 years of age he built a two-seater with his friend Denis. At 87, he published his experience as a machine-gunner for the Canadian Air Force during the Second World War in the novel, L'alouette affolée.
L'alouette affolée tells the adventure of an adolescent who was not born to fight but who, out of his love for flying, would participate in one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century. From Tunisia to the sands of Normandy via London, Gilbert Boulanger discovers the world through war and the friendships, heartaches and perils that went along with it. Through his adventures, whether military or romantic, Gilbert Boulanger expresses himself with all the candour and sensitivity of the young man he was.
« Assis dans mon poste de mitrailleur, je suis isolé. Je suis seul parcourant le ciel du regard dans une boule de verre fragile suspendue au-dessus du vide. Notre avion, un Vickers Armstrong Wellington, frôle des murs de nuages qui naissent de la mer et s'enfuient vers les constellations habitées par des dieux mythologiques, maîtres de ces lieux. Les chasseurs ennemis, toujours en alerte, nous surveillent. Dans ma tourelle, je suis le seul homme armé. Je suis chargé de défendre le bombardier.»
Source: www.luxediteur.com/content/lalouette-affol%C3%A9e/
For information:
Mélodie Lachance,
Development and Communications Agent
Museum of Living Memory
Telephone : (418) 358-0518
Email: m.lachance@memoirevivante.org
Website: www.memoirevivante.org
Davida Aronovitch,
Communications Coordinator
The Memory Project: Stories of the Second World War:
Telephone: (416) 506-1867, Extension 222
Mobile: (416) 460-3284
Email: daronovitch@historica-dominion.ca
Website: www.thememoryproject.com