Itineraires

Louis Hemon published a collection of short stories titled Itineraires. Posthumously, the novel was released in 1913, one year after Hemon's passing. The stories in the collection examine themes of cultural identification, displacement, and the difficulties of adjusting to a new nation and reflect Hemon's experiences as an immigrant in Canada. In Maria Chapdelaine, one of the most well-known stories in the collection, a young woman living in rural Quebec and her connections with three suitors, each of whom represents a different facet of Quebec culture, are described. In other stories in the collection, similar themes are explored. For example, Frappe a la porte tells the tale of a French immigrant family struggling to survive in Canada, and Un Canadien errant follows the travels of a young Canadian musician as he looks for his identity and place in the world.