Oh, my goodness, I'm so honored to be mentioned. Deeply buried stories really are the important ones. Sometimes you have to dig gently to not damage them in the retelling.
Poignant. I looked into the poet Nelligan's Hudon genealogy and found several of our common ancestors -- Hudon, Sargent, Gagnon, Oullette lines. So much of history to bring to light. I can't let-go the image of this trapped and gifted poet. Is Hugh in your lines?
Hugh is my great uncle. On the other side of my family, I am descended from the Gagnons. I may have a Hudon in there as well. I am happy that Hugh was able to live in the world and eventually came home, unlike his poor younger brother, my great uncle Peter, and Emile.
Such a compelling story of these two men whose lives crossed. You so carefully portrayed the sensitivity of both--an artist and a poet--casting their life stories against the backdrop of the history of these harsh institutions. Just a wonderful job of telling the story!
It can be overwhelming to tell the stories of those we know little about. I especially liked this phrase: "One could say that he left no mark on the world, except that marking was exactly his profession: Hugh was an engraver." The reason I like it is because everyone leaves a mark on the world, even those we cannot see. You've done a great job of showing us your uncle's mark.
I inherited a set of spoons and was told that my great uncle had engraved them…a simple object that had a little story … and that led me to Hugh. I will be forever grateful to him for introducing me to the beautiful poetry of Emile Nelligan. He definitely made a mark in the world!
Oh, my goodness, I'm so honored to be mentioned. Deeply buried stories really are the important ones. Sometimes you have to dig gently to not damage them in the retelling.
Poignant. I looked into the poet Nelligan's Hudon genealogy and found several of our common ancestors -- Hudon, Sargent, Gagnon, Oullette lines. So much of history to bring to light. I can't let-go the image of this trapped and gifted poet. Is Hugh in your lines?
Hugh is my great uncle. On the other side of my family, I am descended from the Gagnons. I may have a Hudon in there as well. I am happy that Hugh was able to live in the world and eventually came home, unlike his poor younger brother, my great uncle Peter, and Emile.
Thank you for writing these stories. It feels like a window into the time and place.
Such a compelling story of these two men whose lives crossed. You so carefully portrayed the sensitivity of both--an artist and a poet--casting their life stories against the backdrop of the history of these harsh institutions. Just a wonderful job of telling the story!
It can be overwhelming to tell the stories of those we know little about. I especially liked this phrase: "One could say that he left no mark on the world, except that marking was exactly his profession: Hugh was an engraver." The reason I like it is because everyone leaves a mark on the world, even those we cannot see. You've done a great job of showing us your uncle's mark.
I inherited a set of spoons and was told that my great uncle had engraved them…a simple object that had a little story … and that led me to Hugh. I will be forever grateful to him for introducing me to the beautiful poetry of Emile Nelligan. He definitely made a mark in the world!