Equivocal City

Patrick Coleman is research professor of French and francophone studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.

"Beautifully written, lucid, uncluttered, and witty, Equivocal City is an excellent study and a genuine pleasure to read. Firmly rooted in the field of Montreal writing with its multiple, overlapping literary spheres, Equivocal City also makes important links to American and European literature. The openness of the book's analytical framework ensured that its readings contribute forcefully to existing debate without being restricted to the terms of that debate." Lianne Moyes, Universite de Montreal Lianne Moyes, Université de Montréal "Beautifully written, lucid, uncluttered, and witty, Equivocal City is an excellent study and a genuine pleasure to read. Firmly rooted in the field of Montreal writing with its multiple, overlapping literary spheres, Equivocal City also makes important links to American and European literature. The openness of the book's analytical framework ensured that its readings contribute forcefully to existing debate without being restricted to the terms of that debate." Lianne Moyes, Université de Montréal "Written in a succinct and excellent prose, this book is an easy read, which uses a range of analytical frameworks to contribute to existing debates. The book's format, style and structure lend themselves to any type of reading: whether for students who wish to glean more information about the importance of the city of Montreal as a locus for relationships and hardships in the post-war period, or as teaching material for a course on Montreal and the history of its literature as an intricate dance involving both English and French literary traditions. Indubitably, Coleman's Equivocal City is a must-read for anyone interested in the complex linguistic and literary history of Montreal and the many ways this informs the 'here and now.'" British Journal of Canadian Studies"Patrick Coleman's Equivocal City offers an intriguing analysis of francophone and anglophone authors. [...] Coleman's decision to read the postwar novels within a civic context, and not within the nationalist frameworks of Quebec's Revolution tranquille and Canada's pre-centennial push for bilingualism and biculturalism, is a bold move." Canadian Literature