In On the Eighth Day, Antonine Maillet imagines a solution to the world's problems: a wider and more exuberant world, with its right more left and its left more right, created on "the day when everything is dared and anything is possible." She spins a tale of two brothers -- a giant carved from an oak tree and a scamp shaped out of bread dough -- born one remarkable night when magic made wishes come true. Thrilled to have a son to call their own, Mr. Goodman and Mrs. Goodwife play favourite and bicker over which creation is the better child, causing a rift in the family. To ease the fighting, John-Bear and Big-as-a-Fist decide to set off to seek their fortunes. But first they must visit their godmother, Clara-Galante, to receive their inheritance. A witch who lives deep in the woods, she gives them three wishes and some kind words, before sending the heroes "out into the world to follow their curious destiny beyond the hills on the horizon," left foot first for good luck. Wending their way through unforgettable lands -- the Timeless Village, the Upside-Down Town, the Path of the Vicious Circle -- the lads make many strange friends, who, peculiar as they are, seem strangely familiar. But, wherever Life leads them, Death lurks close behind. A wonderful picaresque akin to a cheerful Gulliver's Travels, a comic Pilgrim's Progress or an Acadian Wizard of Oz, On the Eighth Day is a fast-moving tale starring richly developed characters in a funny and poignant road story in which allegory gains power by taking a back seat to enchantment.

About the Author
Antonine Maillet, a native of Bouctouche, New Brunswick, has spent her life conjuring the impossible into being. She is the author of wry and wildly inventive adult fiction, children's books, radio and television scripts, and more than a dozen plays. Maillet's sparkling imagination, versatility, and commitment to giving Acadian culture a voice have been recognized at home and abroad. She was the first non-citizen of France to win the prestigious Prix Goncourt, which she received for Pelagie-la-Charette. Her now classic monologue La Sagouine won the Chalmers Canadian Play Award; Don l'Orignal won the Governor General's Award for Fiction; and On the Eighth Day, Wayne Grady's rollicking translation of Le Huitieme Jour, won the Governor General's Award for Translation. Wayne Grady is an award-winning author and translator. He won the Governor General's Award for his translation of Antonine Maillet's On the Eighth Day.


Book Information
ISBN 9780864924544
Author Antonine Maillet
Format Paperback
Page Count 276
Imprint Goose Lane Editions
Publisher Goose Lane Editions
Weight(grams) 360g
Dimensions(mm) 139mm * 215mm * 17mm