The Vampire and the Nymphomaniac / Le vampire et la nymphomane by Claude Gauvreau

This special tête-bêche (flip book) bilingual publication — augmented by production photos as well as essays by the translator and editors — marks the first stand-alone edition of The Vampire and the Nymphomaniac in either French or English, its first ever English translation and the first bilingual edition of any of Claude Gauvreau’s full-length texts.

Renowned in Quebec as a revolutionary author, Claude Gauvreau (1925-1971) was a member of Montreal’s groundbreaking artistic movement known as the Automatists. His innovative use of language, which he described as “explorean,” continues to influence, inspire and provoke artists and audiences of every kind.

The Vampire and the Nymphomaniac (Le vampire et la nymphomane), Gauvreau’s sole libretto, is a phantasmagoric love story of star-crossed lovers kept apart by the repressive forces of conventional society. Written in 1949 in Gauvreau’s inimitable, outrageous style, it premiered, posthumously, in Montreal in 1996.

"It's as if we were hearing the language of gods and goddesses long forgotten on some island inhabited by strange animals."
—Lorraine Pintal, Artistic Director, Théâtre du Nouveau Monde

Translated by Ray Ellenwood, winner of the Governor General Award in translation.
Edited by Thierry Bissonnette, Ray Ellenwood and Adam Seelig.
Published by One Little Goat Theatre Company, in association with Nouvelles Éditions de Feu-Antonin.
168 pages, ISBN 978-1-7753255-6-7 (print)

Run time: 90 minutes
Pages: 168

Cast size: 12 actors
Male roles: 6
Female roles: 6
Trans/Non-Binary/Gender Non-Conforming Roles: 12

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