BPC Bulletin: Author and Publisher of "Hansel et Gretel" Acquitted in Quebec Court
News Reports and Commentary Selected by Franklin Carter of the Book and Periodical Council’s Freedom of Expression Committee.
In the Superior Court of Quebec, a judge has acquitted a fiction author and a book publisher of child pornography charges.
On September 24, 2020, Justice Marc-André Blanchard acquitted Yvan Godbout of producing child pornography. Godbout is the author of Hansel et Gretel, a horror novel that includes depictions of child sexual abuse.
Justice Blanchard also acquitted François Doucet of distributing child pornography. He is the founder, owner and publisher of Éditions AdA.* The company published Hansel et Gretel in 2017.
The judge ruled that parts of Canada’s child pornography laws are overly broad; they target literature that doesn’t endorse or promote pedophilia.
The Province of Quebec has 30 days to appeal the decision.
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*Doucet is described in English news reports as Godbout’s editor. It is possible that he edited Godbout’s novel — I don’t know — but Doucet is the publisher of Éditions AdA. In French, a male publisher is an éditeur. A male editor is a rédacteur or réviseur.
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REPORTAGE IN ENGLISH
The Sherbrooke Times reports:
The Canadian Press reports:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/yvan-godbout-acquitted-1.5741240
Morgan Lowrie of the Canadian Press reports:
REPORTAGE IN FRENCH
At TVA Nouvelles, the host of Québec matin interviews Godbout:
La Presse Canadienne reports:
In Le Devoir, Natalia Wysocka reports:
https://www.ledevoir.com/culture/586654/yvan-godbout-remporte-sa-bataille-epique
In La Presse, Stéphanie Vallet reports:
On QUB Radio, Geneviève Pettersen interviews Godbout:
At Cogeco Média, radio host Patrick Lagacé of Le Québec maintenant interviews Godbout:
https://www.fm1069.ca/audio/335119/yvan-godbout
At Radio-Canada, Rania Massoud reports:
Stéphanie Marin of La Presse Canadienne reports:
In La Presse, Louis-Samuel Perron reports:
At Le Journal de Montréal, Michael Nguyen reports:
https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2020/09/24/pornographie-juvenile-lauteur-yvan-godbout-acquitte
COMMENTARY IN FRENCH AND ENGLISH
L’Association national des éditeurs de livres (ANEL) comments:
Union des écrivaines et des écrivains québécois (UNEQ) comments:
https://www.uneq.qc.ca/2020/09/24/yvan-godbout-acquitte/
PEN Canada comments:
https://pencanada.ca/news/canada-concerns-around-prosecution-of-yvan-godbout/
P.E.N. Québec comments:
https://penquebec.org/2019/12/21/affaire-hansel-et-gretel-linquietude-grandit-dans-la-communaute-litteraire-selon-luneq/
Big thanks go to Charles Montpetit who forwarded the news stories.
The Book and Periodical Council was formed in 1975 as the Book and Periodical Development Council to provide a venue for members to discuss industry issues, address mutual concerns and undertake projects for the benefit of Canadian writing and publishing.