In a live broadcast of various art forms, Roy appeared in a tribute to Quebec’s writers. Alternating with Luc Picard, Isabelle Richer and Guylaine Tremblay, he read the following five extracts in French.

“Understand that the language of art is like that of the gods. Those who cannot speak either to the gods or to man are savages.”

He was prevented from announcing the author of this quotation because Isabelle Richer followed on too quickly.

“I have not seen all the wonders of the world, but I have seen the most beautiful, and that’s my country. Wherever I am on the earth, I carry it with me in my guitar.”

Felix Leclerc

“We are always playing the clown. Wearing make-up, playing a part even if there’s no-one around to see us,  just in case someone might be there because today is the day.” 

Jean-Yves Soucy

 “Cinema is the art of being able to do things that are forbidden to ordinary mortals.”

Emmanuel Cocke

 “A book is a world. A complete world. A world with a beginning and an end. Each page of a book is a town, each line a street, each word a home. My eyes run down every street, open every door, enter every home.”

Réjean Ducharme

For a detailed description in English of Roy’s performance by Danièle St-Denis, visit her website RD Characters where she will soon be posting a full transcript.