Christopher DiRaddo, the author behind the Violet Hour book club, says the city told him on Friday that he can hold his club meetings at the library after all
Author Christopher Diraddo, pictured in 2022, says he welcomes the clarification and may consider hosting his club gatherings at the Père-Ambroise library, but he says he fears the vague nature of the Quebec's 2022 language reform may lead to future cancellations of English cultural events.
On Monday, the Pere-Ambroise library in the Ville-Marie borough told DiRaddo that he could hold events only in French. City officials had backed the library’s decision, saying his English-language book discussions would be permitted if he offered simultaneous French-language translation – a requirement he said was unrealistic.After DiRaddo went public with the situation, the Quebec government said Wednesday that the province’s language laws do not apply in his case.
However, while DiRaddo welcomes the reversal and hopes it establishes a precedent, he said he fears that “ambiguity” in the language reform may lead to the cancellation of English cultural events like his own.
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