The Setting Lake Sun

By J. R. Léveillé

The Setting Lake Sun, J.R. Léveillé's first novel set in his native Manitoba, describes the unforgettable encounter of Angèle, an aspiring young Métis architect, with Ueno Takami, an older Japanese poet. The story begins when they meet at an art gallery in Winnipeg, a city surprisingly rich both physically, in its architecture, and culturally, with its mix of heritage and customs brought by people who have emigrated there from all over the world. From Winnipeg Angèle and Ueno head north through the wilds to Thompson. Narrated by Angèle, who is remembering her feelings of excitement, surprise and wonder at the discoveries inspired by the Japanese artist, The Setting Lake Sun is as much a love story as a spiritual journey, a celebration of life in all its incompleteness, imperfection, and impermanence.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Signature Editions
• Release date: Sep 9, 2011
• ISBN: 9781897109588

J. R. Léveillé

J.R. Léveillé has published over thirty books (novels, poetry, essays). He has a master's degree in French literature and worked as a journalist and producer at Radio-Canada until 2006. Léveillé has directed portraits of authors for television, as well as special issues of literary journals. He was the long-time director of Les Éditions du Blé and served as secretary of the Winnipeg International Writers Festival. His work has garnered numerous recognitions, foremost Manitoba's Arts Award of Distinction. In 2009, he was writer and lecturer in residence at the Université de Rennes, France.

Book preview

The Setting Lake Sun

The Setting Lake Sun

J.R. LÉVEILLÉ

TRANSLATED BY

S.E. Stewart

Signature Editions

© 2001, J.R. Léveillé & S.E. Stewart

Print Edition ISBN 978-0921833-77-2

EPub Edition, 2011

ISBN 978-1897109-58-8

Published in French as Le soleil du lac qui se couche by Les Éditions du Blé, 2001.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, for any reason, by any means, without the permission of the publisher.

Cover design by Terry Gallagher/Doowah Design.

We acknowledge the support of The Canada Council for the Arts and the Manitoba Arts Council for our publishing program.

Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data

Léveillé, J.R., 1945­

[Soleil du lac qui se couche. English]

The setting lake sun.

Translation of: Le soleil du lac qui se couche.

I. Stewart, S.E. (Susan Elizabeth), 1951­ II. Title. III. Title: Le soleil du lac qui se couche. English.

PS8573.E935S6413 2001     C843'.54     C2001-900462-1

PQ3919.2.L3977S6413 2001

Signature Editions, P.O. Box 206, RPO Corydon

Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3M 3S7

www.signature-editions.com

The geese

fly over the place

where the bullfrogs stay

Contents

The Setting Lake Sun

About the Author

About the Translator

The Setting Lake Sun

1

I was twenty years old when I met Ueno Takami, the Japanese poet. Some said he was a monk, others that he had a wife and two children, still others that he was the president of a large Japanese importing firm.

At the time I didn’t know what the truth was.

2

Many years have passed since that time. I’m much older now, but this story still resounds in me as clearly as a bell in the empty sky.

3

I would like to say that I met him at his cabin in Northern Manitoba. Something mysterious happens when you arrive unexpectedly before a campfire.

But it wasn’t like that at all. I first saw him at the opening of a show by a Cree artist in a Winnipeg art gallery.

4

He caught me staring at him. His face, with its strong bones, was a little creased with age, sort of weatherbeaten but vibrant. He was wearing old jeans, work boots, and a wonderful black turtleneck sweater that seemed typically Japanese. His most striking feature was his eyes, what you’d call coal black, brimming with an exuberant restraint.

As soon as he caught sight of me he came over and said, You’re Métis, aren’t you?

5

And what a smile he gave me! I started to laugh at what he’d said.

That, he added, is your Indian side.

We shook hands.

Angèle.

Ueno.

6

Something drew my eye to the large window at the end of the room and out to the spectacle of the darkening sky. I was filled with both an enormous sense of melancholy and the joy of this sunset that could have gone on forever.

That, he said, is your White side.

He was right.

7

The next morning I awoke to the ringing of the telephone. It was my sister.

She told me that a letter for me from the university had arrived at my mother’s. Want me to open it? she asked.

I hesitated. I had applied for admission to the school of architecture. The telephone line seemed like a tightrope and I felt both hope and fear. Would I rather open the letter in the privacy of my apartment?

Go ahead. Make the leap, she said.

It struck me as strange, this idea of making a leap, since the internal inclination and the image that had convinced me, or pushed me, to launch myself into architecture were entirely different.

I’d seen a television documentary about the men who work on the construction of bridges and skyscrapers. American Indians, it seems, have no fear of heights and they’re blessed with an excellent sense of balance. So I had imagined myself walking blithely along a steel beam up in the blue.

I guess my notion of architecture was all wrapped up in the idea of a suspension of the void under my feet.

8

Okay, it’s all right, she said.

I still hadn’t replied.

You know, she continued, I had a dream about you last night.

About the letter?

No. You were strolling down a trail through the woods with an old man.

You’re kidding!

A strange feeling came over me, like the metallic blue of oncoming night.

No, he wasn’t actually old. Well, maybe. It was an older person. Almost an old man. But at the same time he seemed quite young.

My sister’s dreams had a way of coming true.

9

So, what about this letter?

I’d forgotten about it while she told me her dream.

I’ll come over and pick it up.

Just make sure you keep an eye on your emotional life,she said and started to laugh.

10

My father left when I was five or six. I hadn’t seen him since.

I’d kept a memento. That is, my mother let me have it. It was a bear claw mounted as a pendant on a leather thong.

I took the necklace out of the small cigar box where I kept my jewellery. I put it on and looked at myself in the mirror.

I then dressed quickly, feeling a sudden desire to go for a walk around the streets of Winnipeg.

11

It was quite sunny and as I strolled along the streets in the Exchange District, over by Main, I couldn’t help thinking of my mother and how she would take my sister and me for walks not far from there. When we were very young she’d take us in strollers; later on we’d ride our bikes or walk.

Reviews for The Setting Lake Sun

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a gem and it could have been a hidden gem if it hadn't been chosen for the On the Same Page program. I had never heard of it nor of its author. I'm so glad I didn't wait any longer to remedy that.This is the story of Angele, a young Metis woman, and Ueno Takami, a Japanese man. Angele and Ueno meet at a gallery opening in Winnipeg and from the beginning Angele is entranced by Ueno. She learns that the print shop where her friend works is going to print a book of Ueno's poetry and woodcuts. She arranges her schedule so that she can go to the printery when the book is being printed. Ueno is delighted to see her and he asks her to translate his poems into French. Then Ueno invites Angele to his cabin on Setting Lake which is near Thompson. Angele and Ueno become lovers and soulmates.Even the cover of this book is gorgeous and it reflects the quote that is on the dedication page:The geesefly over the placewhere the bullfrogs stayOne of the delights of reading this book is the fact that it takes place in Winnipeg for part of the time and then in northern Manitoba for part of the time. I've driven the road to Thompson and the author obviously has also. He captures the experience exactly. And I loved the inclusion of familiar places in Winnipeg like Artspace and Rinella Printers and Sacre Coeur.I was inspired to try my hand at haiku:This bookis a paintingthat is not under glass