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Inspired by Erik Satie's work of the same name,
Sports and Pastimes is the latest novel by acclaimed Montreal playwright and author Jean-Philippe Baril Guérard.
Translated by Aimee Wall (whose translation of Vickie Gendreau's
Testament for BookThug in 2016 drew critical reviews), this fast-paced story follows the daily life, at once empty and overloaded, of a group of friends who spend all their energy trying to distract themselves with huge hits of endorphins, art and various substances, navigating pleasure and boredom, the extraordinary and the banal, as (more or less) worthy representatives of the best and worst of what their era has to offer.
About the author
JEAN-PHILIPPE BARIL GUÉRARD is an actor and writer who lives in Montreal. He is the author of four novels:
Sports et divertissements (published in English as
Sports and Pastimes),
Royal (winner of the Prix littéraire des collégiens),
Manuel de la vie sauvage (which was translated into Spanish), and
Haute démolition (
You Crushed It). He also co-wrote
Les Cicatrisés de Saint-Sauvignac with three other writers. Several of his books have been adapted for the stage and television, including
Royal,
Haute démolition, and
Manuel de la vie sauvage. He also writes for the stage and screen.
AIMEE WALL is a writer and translator. Wall's translations include
Sadie X by Clara Dupuis-Morency, Vickie Gendreau's novels
Testament and
Drama Queens, and
Sports and Pastimes by Jean-Philippe Baril Guérard. Her acclaimed debut novel,
We, Jane was nominated for nine literary prizes including the Amazon Canada First Novel Award, the BMO Winterset Award, the ReLit Award for Fiction, and the Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist. Wall was born in Newfoundland and lives in Montreal.
