Le Poids Du Temps

In this collection of short, sometimes incisive, essays, the author allows his mind to wander from one subject, or one approach, to the next, much in the esteemed tradition of the French essayists: Montaigne’s essays, Pascal’s thoughts and Paul Valéry’s reflections.

These are Henrie’s musings on key issues, most notably on politics--because for years, Maurice Henrie worked in the shadow of federal parliamentarians, but also on literature and on topics of a socioeconomic nature. Here, the pen is as free and uncensored as the thought that drives it. It broaches any number of subjects, and the presentation of these unbridled short texts is thematic. In terms of politics, for instance, Henrie explores the affinity between an elected official and his constituents, the traditional regime of checks and balances in House of Commons debates, and the vicissitudes that characterize all ruling parties. Turning to literature, Henrie contemplates the mysteries of literary success, the misunderstandings that dominate literature, and the woes of writing in an electronic world.

Discover this unabridged audio book in French, read by Étienne Panet-Raymond.

Published in French.

Author of more than twenty novels, short-story collections, and essays, Maurice Henrie (Trillium Award, Toronto French Book Fair Award, Prix LeDroit, City of Ottawa Award, and Prix des lecteurs de Radio-Canada), publishes with the University of Ottawa Press since 2017.

Maurice Henrie studied literature at the University of Ottawa, where he obtained his master’s degree. After a stay in Paris, he completed his doctorate in literature. He taught at the University of Ottawa and Carleton University before becoming a senior official with the federal government for over twenty years, four of those spent as a political consultant to the Prime Minister of Canada.