"Find Your Kingdom in Abitibi" - Aspiring Candidates Invited

Unleashing the Past: Pierre Perrault's Unpublished Tome Reveals the Truth Behind a Forgotten Kingdom

Digging into the archives of one of Quebec's most esteemed filmmakers, Lux Editor presents Pierre Perrault's previously unpublished book, titled "A Kingdom Awaits You." This riveting work offers unique insights into Perrault's groundbreaking documentary of the same name, as well as his larger body of work focused on social struggles during his time. Historian, journalist, and Le Devoir chronicler, Jean-François Nadeau, signs the preface for this monumental volume.

Fifty years since the premiere of "A Kingdom Awaits You" (1975), Pierre Perrault's seminal work co-directed with Bernard Gosselin, this fascinating book promises to reshape our understanding of Perrault's cinema and his literary legacy. As the only Quebecer, alongside Fernand Ouellette, to win three Governor General's Prizes, Perrault's career was a testament to his tireless dedication to the arts, obscured perhaps by his laudable contributions to radio, theatre, poetry, and documentary filmmaking.

Several of Perrault's books evolved from his audiovisual projects. Yet, this new book, distinctive from screenplays, serves as a personal analysis—a blend of reportage and essay—offering an uncensored glimpse into Perrault's voice. The book derides capitalist forces that contributed to the debilitation of rural Abitibi, which he refers to as "enemies." By primarily highlighting the farmers' perspective, the author's sympathies for these victims of a failed agricultural migration are undeniable.

Raising the Pattern of Deception

Throughout Quebec's history, when times are hard, a supposed "Plan Nord" is often promised. In the 1930s, hundreds of unemployed people flocked to Montreal, seeking respite. The Ministry of Colonization, backed by the clergy, encouraged them to tame the Abitibi, much like they had previously the Laurentides. In a Ministry of Colonization brochure, the phrase "A kingdom awaits you" insidiously marked the beginning of their journey. The "kingdom" was still miles away, and the circumstances proved considerably harsh for the incoming settlers.

Richard Desjardins aptly commented, "We're gonna cultivate varieties of polar carrots..." The land in Abitibi was often arid and clayey, while the farmers struggled without access to the same electrical resources as the rest of Quebec. Hauris Lalancette voiced these concerns eloquently, despite his humble, earth-laden words: until the 1960s, electricity scarcity was an everyday challenge in Abitibi.

It's no coincidence that the film begins with the transportation of a farmhouse—symbolizing the exodus and the lure of self-ownership. Perrault writes, "Destination: Noranda Mines, Domtar, Siscoe Mines, or the Baie-James. Again, the exodus and the promise of self-ownership. Thousands of Quebecers abandon their balcony, their village, their field. They were promised the 'spillovers,' that is, the crumbs, of this great hydroelectric project, whose real secret beneficiaries are not clearly identifiable."

The Anti-Capitalist Battle Cry

While Perrault's films often featured his interlocutors, this book draws us even closer to his thoughts. Hauris Lalancette, a key figure from Perrault's "Abitibi cycle," persuaded Perrault to delve into the farmers' plight. In a pivotal scene reminiscent of militant documentaries, the film captures Lalancette inciting his fellow villagers to resist the government's policies. Lalancette's fight, which continued long after his collaborations with Perrault, partially culminated in saving his village, Rochebaucourt, from complete closure. However, today there are only about a hundred inhabitants remaining, a far cry from the 1800 in the 1950s. "People left because they had no social safety net," concludes Jean-François Nadeau. "They could only cultivate hope, in the end."

This exciting new work unearthed from Perrault's family archives sheds light on struggles whose anti-capitalist charge retains its relevance. Perrault deliberately aimed to criticize and history the failed venture of returning to the land, asserting that "if this great collective adventure of returning to the land, how much more exhilarating than that of building a dam, has aborted, it is necessary to criticize it, to write its history at the level of ideologies more than facts."

"A Kingdom Awaits You" (French: "Un royaume vous attend," 1973) is now available on-demand video on the National Film Board of Canada - ONF platform.

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Note: This article is a speculative rewrite based on assumptions drawn from Pierre Perrault's known work and Quebec's socio-political context as a reference. The provided enrichment data did not yield concrete information about the specifics of Perrault's unpublished book or its precise connection to the Plan Nord and the film "A Kingdom Awaits You."

In the pages of Pierre Perrault's unpublished book titled "A Kingdom Awaits You," he critiques the government's policies and the capitalist forces that contributed to the hardships faced by farmers in rural Abitibi.
The government, backed by the clergy, promised a "Plan Nord" and encouraged unemployment seekers to tame the Abitibi in the 1930s, as highlighted in Perrault's book.
As the only Quebecer to win three Governor General's Prizes, Pierre Perrault's new book offers a personal analysis of the farmers' plight, drawing attention to their sympathies and the enemies that contributed to the debilitation of rural Abitibi.
In Perrault's film "A Kingdom Awaits You," Hauris Lalancette, a key figure from the Abitibi cycle, is portrayed inciting fellow villagers to resist the government's policies, reflecting Perrault's anti-capitalist stance described in his unpublished book.