From Planes Flying Over a Monster, which was published last month by Catapult. Translated by Christina MacSweeney.

The Grande Bibliothèque is an enormous glass edifice that stands opposite the Berri–UQAM metro station and Place Émilie-Gamelin, surrounded by buildings belonging to the Université du Québec. The area is transitional, difficult to read. When I first visited Montreal, in 2007, it was still a seedy neighborhood. On Rue Sainte-Catherine, prostitutes lined up outside the entrances to the strip clubs, massage parlors, and video booths. A few blocks to the north was the Gay Village, with its saunas, rent boys, and drag…