Les Médiums Littéraires
Calling on both French and Québécois literary spirits who parted with the canon of purely realistic modes of representation to flirt with the supernatural, our team's mission is to channel those spirits who we deem sympathetic to our telekinetic project and therefore wish to engage with us in the manipulation of the candle flame. With Baudelaire's unusual use of bold and scandalous poetic themes, Maupassant's distinct ability to cleverly combine realism and fantasy and Nelligan's passionate, almost desperate love of both French poetry and prose, we feel that they may be the most willing and telekinetically inclined participants to embark on this psychic journey with us. The energy of six, both living and dead to guide the flame, we are well poised to be front running contenders in the upcoming WTC.
Ann-Marie Hansen a.k.a. Charles 'The Spleen' Baudelaire has been developing her telekinetic techniques since uncovering an unusually affective affinity, that is to say one of the trans-substantive type and apparently reciprocated, with the renowned 19th century French poet Charles Baudelaire. This so-called happy coincidence coincided with her convincing but unconventional start in the study of the melancholic sub-category that is 'spleen' as a major thematic element in French literature. This inspired relationship could not but be proven both productive and worth protecting.
It is thus through thinking communication with the spirit of the great melancholic (the original Baudelaire), who would oft have worked with moody candlelight cast by a lonely wick, that she aspires to aid in influencing the innermost indigo of the famous flame during the upcoming world championship matches. Charles long being freed from his fleshly form is able to aptly affect such forces as the fiery flickering of candlelight, all that remains is for this capacity to be called into concentrated action by our magnificent 'médium littéraire'.
As a native of Montréal, it seemed but natural for Marie Markovic to further explore her connection with the romantic poet émile Nelligan, also born and raised in Québec's metropolis... quite a few decades before her.
In famous Carré Saint-Louis, Nelligan's bronze head gazes at the house of his childhood. The passerby is reminded through this metallic stare that Nelligan's mind never made it long past a young age: after writing some of Quebec's most celebrated verses in his twenties, the poet was committed to a mental institution, where he existed, absently, for an additional 40 years.
Being half Yugoslav as well, Marie finds resonance in such a dramatic fate, and she is confident that the ill soul of an insane poet will be a powerful addition to the team.
Once upon a time, there lived a little girl named Aimie Shaw in a not-so-faraway-land, who was happy to spend her days thinking of carnival laughter, authorial resurrections and the paradoxes of literary reception. She was a very happy girl, but was never quite fulfilled for she longed to be reconnected with Guy de Maupassant, with whom she'd had a brief but passionate encounter so many years before. Hence, she valiantly embarked on her journey with but the Pléiade to guide her, in search of her one true inspiration. Alas, 3 sleepless years passed, and she began to draw weary for as hard as she tried, she found no one but classicists and formalists. One day, as she sat weeping amongst the library bookstacks, a wise old artisan appeared and whispered in her ear: "may the literary spirits guide you to the light". Unsure what this meant, she (as any young princess would do) googled the phrase. She immediately stumble on the WTC call for submissions, the path to destiny was hers to follow. Reconnected at last, she spent the remainder of her days sitting near the flickering flame, (her Pléiade in hand), as she channelled the energy of Maupassant and lived happily ever after.
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