Public Enemy - by Olivier Choinière (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Three generations of a family argue over current events, finances, and culture, with everyone looking to blame someone else for society's ills in this satirical examination of how judgment can both divide and unite people.

Elizabeth, the matriarch, has invited her children and grandchildren over for dinner. Instead of a nice family meal, it quickly slides into the adults arguing in the dining room and the kids fighting in the living room. Rapid-fire dialogue fuses and overlaps, but no one listens to each other. A blistering take on the family drama, Public Enemy asks, who's really responsible for all our suffering?

About the Author

Olivier Choinière is a playwright and director based in Montréal. He is the managing and artistic director of L'ACTIVITÉ. In his work, he explores different forms of representation, whether on stage or off, and seeks to give an active role to the spectator. He was the recipient of the prestigious 2014 Siminovitch Prize. A graduate in playwriting from the National Theatre School, Olivier won their Gascon-Thomas Award in 2015. His play Ennemi public won the Prix Michel-Tremblay in 2015 and Manifeste de la Jeune-Fille was honoured at the 2020 Primeurs Festival in Germany.

Bobby Theodore is a Toronto-based screenwriter, playwright, dramaturg, and translator. After graduating from the National Theatre School of Canada's playwriting section in 1998, he was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award in 2000 for his translation of 15 Seconds by François Archambault. Since then, Bobby has gone on to translate over twenty-five plays from French to English. His most recent translations include The Just by Albert Camus and The Law of Gravity by Olivier Sylvestre.