A new library that will be built in the Villeray district will be called Caroline Dawson in tribute to this Quebec writer who died last year, announced the mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante.
To name this library in honor of Caroline Dawson is to recognize in her a voice that has been able to weave bridges between the communities, in the very image of what a library represents, said Ms. Plante.
His departure moved all of Quebec. SO [il était] natural […] to celebrate his memory by reversing a cultural place in his honor.
The new establishment will replace the Le Prévost library in the same district.
A natural choice, according to his family
Caroline Dawson’s family immediately said yes when the city of Montreal contacted it to obtain its approval.
It is both a huge honor and a joy
underlines his brother Nicholas Dawson, also a writer.
Caro loved a lot, but a lot, libraries. She was very faithful to them
he added.
During her illness, she gave several conferences and participated in several workshops in libraries because she found it important to restore to libraries.
Caroline Dawson having lived in the Villeray district, she had herself attended the Le Prévost library.
Caroline and Nicholas Dawson at the Maison de Radio-Canada in 2023
Photo : Radio-Canada / LisaMaie Noël
Exile in the heart of To be where I terre
By choosing this name, the city of Montreal pays tribute to Caroline Dawson, who died of cancer at the age of 44, and at her work.
Author of the collection What is you and children’s book Startshe is best known for her first novel, Where I go earthwhich conquered the hearts of many readers after its publication, in 2020.
Caroline Dawson, born in Chile under the dictatorship of Pinochet, recounts her arrival in Montreal as a refugee at the age of 7, her learning French, her discovery of Quebec culture, her parents who were working to make households to support the family, her experience of racism …
5e library baptized in honor of a woman
The Caroline-Dawson library will be the fifth library of the Montreal network to bear the name of a woman.
This gesture contributes to correcting a historic imbalance in the cultural toponymy of the city, where women remain largely underrepresented
said the city of Montreal by press release. It is part of an assertive desire to make women’s contributions visible to culture, collective memory and Montreal intellectual life.
The Caroline-Dawson library is expected to open in 2030. In the meantime, the Le Prévost library, located in the Patro Villeray community center, will continue to welcome the public.
