''Nikolski'' is a novel by

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

writer Nicolas Dickner. Originally published in 2005 in

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

edition translated by

Lazer Lederhendler Lazer Lederhendler is a Canadian literary translator and academic."A literary translator's colourful, unlikely tale". ''Montreal Gazette'', December 17, 2016. A four-time nominee for the Governor General's Award for French to English translation, ...

was published in 2008."Nicolas Dickner's Nikolski wins Canada Reads showdown"
''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', March 13, 2010. The original French edition was a nominee for the 2005 Governor General's Award for French fiction, won the Prix Anne-Hébert in 2006, and won the prix litteraire des collegiens, a prize awarded by Quebecois post-secondary students, in 2006. The English translation won the 2008 Governor General's Award for French-to-English translation, and the 2010 edition of ''

Canada Reads ''Canada Reads'' is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC. The program has aired in two distinct editions, the English-language ''Canada Reads'' on CBC Radio One, and the Frenc ...

''. The novel's story is set in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

and revolves around three seemingly disconnected characters (Noah, Joyce and an unnamed narrator) whose lives eventually intersect in the city's

Plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...

neighbourhood. The title derives from one of the novel's recurring motifs, a broken

compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...

which consistently points to the small village of

Nikolski, Alaska Nikolski (''Chalukax̂'' in Aleut; russian: Никольский) is a census-designated place (CDP) on Umnak Island in Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 39 at the 2020 census, up from 18 in 2010. Nikolski is ...

instead of the

Magnetic North Pole The north magnetic pole, also known as the magnetic north pole, is a point on the surface of Earth's Northern Hemisphere at which the planet's magnetic field points vertically downward (in other words, if a magnetic compass needle is allowed t ...

References

2005 Canadian novels Canadian French-language novels Novels set in Montreal {{Canada-novel-stub