The French translation of my short story collection, and first published book, Debris, was officially put out into the words just over a week ago, and I’ve been seeing some social media posts and reviews show up over in France and other parts of Europe.

Toutes les chances qu’on se donne was published by Éditions Albin Michel, and translated by Janique Jouin de Laurens, both of whom I owe my admiration for their hard work on the collection and, a few years ago, the translation of my novel In the Cage as Dans la Cage. The response so far has been encouraging as I wait on word about my latest novel and keep on writing new work in this ongoing pandy. So I decided to share some of the reviews I’ve got from book bloggers and book club members that contribute to a robust base of French readers that is frankly to be envied over here in Canada.

Here’s a few lines from some of those, with links to the blogs they might appear on, where possible:

Over the course of these eleven short stories, Kevin Hardscastle’s pen is flawless again, blending beautiful descriptions and punchy dialogue… “Bandits”, “Hunted by coyotes” and the eponymous short story “All the chances we give ourselves”(Debris) would not be out of place in the Daniel Woodrell collection “The Outlaw Album” or Chris Offutt’s “Kentucky Straight”.

Clete – Nyctalope

Kevin Hardcastle is a great writer, it shows in his way of weaving stories that grab your guts and never let go. These characters are the witnesses of life as it is, without falsity… “All the chances we give ourselves” is a formidable collection drawing from the noir novel the literary pulsations that vibrate our hearts of readers. This has just been published by Albin Michel in the very beautiful “Terres d’Amérique” collection. I warmly encourage you to read it.

Frédéric M – Culture in all its forms

This collection in my opinion has a big problem: it is too short! The characters come to life within a few pages and despite the darkness we would like to accompany them longer. Written in a simple yet sure-handed and impactful style, all of these stories are bursting with a mixture of violence and hope.

Madame Tapioca

There are more of them out there that I’ve seen mostly on Instagram and whatnot, but I’ll leave it there for now. I had a feeling this one might be less polarizing to readers in Europe, despite covering similar territory and sharing that style and tone and atmosphere that comes with all of my work. Nonetheless, I appreciate all of the readers that have found the collection and have recommended it to other readers. You are truly champions, and I hope all of your dreams take flight on the wings of a pegacorn…

I’ll keep an eye out for others, and for reviews that might show up in the papers and such, as they did with Dans la Cage. In the meantime, I’m back to sitting outside in random spots in Toronto and chopping away at the latest work.

Take care of each other out there, and keep the dream alive.
KH

As of this week, Toutes les chances qu’on se donne, the French language translation of my short story collection, Debris, has officially been published in France by Éditions Albin Michel. I’ve posted about this earlier, as I’ve had little in the way of book news while waiting to see what happens with the novel I finished last year in the pandy (County Road Six). But, it has been great to see readers with the book in their hands over the last few days, and to see some positive reviews and social media posts by readers who came across my work a couple years back, with the translation of In the Cage as Dans la Cage, also by Albin Michel.

If there is anyone you know who digs short stories and would like to read them in French, this collection might speak to them more than the novel, given the variety of tales and the kind of terrain you can cover in eleven stories, as opposed to one continues longer narrative. I’ve already seen some kind words written about this one, from readers who liked the novel and those who had a harder time wrestling with the subject matter of Dans la Cage. I always knew that a book about an MMA fighter might be a challenge for some, but it was the only way I could tell that story as needed, so I knew that it’d be interesting to absorb the responses that readers had as they went on that journey. Nonetheless, there were a bunch of readers who loved the writing, but felt that particular story wasn’t for them. With the collection, I’m hoping that the variety and range of those stories will help draw them to the work and to at least a few of those tales. That seems to be the case, so far…

I have to thank the shit out of Francis Geffard, the publisher at Albin Michel who found my work and has championed it there. I don’t think I quite realized the gravity of his role, and that publishing house’s role, in book publishing in Europe, but it has been an amazing turn of events for a few books published by an independent press in Canada (Bibioasis).

Mega thanks also go to Carol Menville, who also edited my work at Albin Michel, and to Janique Jouin de Laurens, who translated both book and asked many key questions about pickup trucks, urinal troughs, and prairie grain silos, all of which led to getting the right words in the right places for French readers.

You can find Toutes les chances qu’on se donne on Albin Michel’s site, which links to the booksellers that carry it. It’s also available through Indigo/Chapters in Canada, for those French readers who are over on this side of the Atlantic.