We Are Acadians: Nous Sommes Acadiens - Hardcover

Tassin, Myron; Pitre, Glen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1455615455 ISBN 13: 9781455615452

Publisher: Pelican Publishing, 2011

Synopsis

All that it means to be an Acadian is revealed in this pictorial documentary of a people whose roots thread across two continents and three countries. The exodus that brought the Acadians here more than two centuries ago began in western France and ended along the bayous and over the prairies of south Louisiana. Their influence still provides the state's cultural heritage with a distinctive flavor that makes Louisiana stand out onfrom the increasingly homogeneous nationalstage. A new foreword by Glen Pitre, who was dubbed by American Film as the "father of the Cajun film," gives testament to the tremendous influence this book had on him and a generation struggling to reclaim its roots in a society bent on assimilation. Pitre speaks eloquently of the scenes throughout the book, and the timelessness of the photographs translated directly into the films he made over the years.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

"The author of this book, Myron Tassin, saved me. Numerous times. He gave me self-confidence. He won me awards. He was instrumental in my having a career as a movie director. And I never met the man."
-Glen Pitre, filmmaker and author of Belizaire the Cajun

All that it means to be an Acadian is revealed in this pictorial documentary of a people whose roots thread across two continents and three countries. The exodus that brought the Acadians here more than two centuries ago began in western France and ended along the bayous and over the prairies of south Louisiana. Their influence still provides the state's cultural heritage with a distinctive flavor that makes Louisiana stand out onfrom the increasingly homogeneous nationalstage.

A new foreword by Glen Pitre, who was dubbed by American Film as the "father of the Cajun film," gives testament to the tremendous influence this book had on him and a generation struggling to reclaim its roots in a society bent on assimilation. Pitre speaks eloquently of the scenes throughout the book, and the timelessness of the photographs translated directly into the films he made over the years. Here are the many faces of the Cajun-hard-working, fun-loving, quick to adapt, adopt, and improve-all captured by photographer Fonville Winans and graphically, even poetically, described by author Myron Tassin.

Tassin is eminently qualified to tell the story of Louisiana's Acadians-he is one of them. They are his people-the farmers, fishermen, industrial workers, and practitioners of a world-famous cuisine. Writer and photographer have collaborated to portray the Cajuns as they were and as they have become in Louisiana, a people who turned a heritage of hardship into a philosophy that declares, when work is done, "Laissez les bon temps rouler." "Let the good times roll!"

Myron Tassin has written several books depicting his native state. He is the author of The Delta Queen: Last of the Paddlewheel Palaces and coauthor of Mardi Gras and Bacchus: Something Old, Something New and Fifty Years at the Grand Ole Opry, all published by Pelican.

Fonville Winans is the world's premier photographer of Acadiana. A descendent of Louisiana's Parisian French, he traversed the bayou country during the 1920s and 1930s recording the lives of the Acadian people.

Glen Pitre graduated from Harvard, returned to Louisiana, and has spent his life bringing the culture and history of the state and the Cajun people to an international audience. In 1988 the French government bestowed on him the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in honor of his contributions.

About the Author:

Myron Tassin is a native New Orleans author and one of Louisiana's own Acadians. He worked as a public relations consultant until his retirement. Tassin considers himself a proud Acadian and believes the Acadian culture is a major component of his unique heritage. From this cultural perspective, Tassin has written several books about the rich history of New Orleans and the southern experience he reveres. He lives in Florida where he has made his vacation home a permenant residence.

Fonville Winans, whose work is widely known under the name "Fonville," is perhaps the premier photographer of Acadiana. A descendant of Louisiana's French Creoles, he traversed the bayou country for more than a decade during the 1920s and 1930s, recording the lives and folkways of the Acadian people.

Glen Pitre has pursued many media-oriented careers, including television, film, and writing. However, he has also worked as a shrimp fisherman, house painter, ship's cook, roadside vendor of garlic, assistant zookeeper, and oil-field laborer. His work experiences and interactions with people of every economic level make him a well-rounded and worthy resource of information.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pelican Publishing
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1455615455
• ISBN 13: 9781455615452
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 96