Louise Dupré or decline, decadence, reconstruction and rebirth

The young history of Quebec society bears witness to the rapid pace of transformations brought about by the conditions for the inscription of an ancient culture on a new continent. Quebec society, now American, is detached from the European models that historically and linguistically gave birth to it. What interests us in this vast context is a reflection on the position and role of the poet, novelist, teacher, and essayist Louise Dupré who transcends Quebec borders. Indeed, her book Higher than the flames, written one year after the visit to the former extermination camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau, leads to the reconstruction and rebirth of humanity. Our goal is to identify the writing techniques which make possible to achieve that through the following stages: by the declines, the decadence of humanity which caused the death of the lost children in the camps, by the reconstruction and rebirth of humanity – linked to our mission to “find ladders higher than the flames” in order to relearn to dance, to live. Because “life is not just hell” (Dupré 2010 : 25). Therefore, this book is not only a book about pain, but also a book about love and hope.

Keywords: Louise Dupré; humanity; imagination; decline; decadence; reconstruction; rebirth