Quartier des Spectacles in Montréal, Québec — Central Canada (French-Canadian)
Henri Tranquille
Vocation : Libraire
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 19, 2024
1. Henri Tranquille Marker
Tranquille développe plus tard une admiration pour les grands auteurs de la littérature française, qu'il découvre lors de son cours classique au collège Sainte-Marie. S'il y étudie pour devenir prêtre, son engouement pour la lecture prend rapidement le dessus: il dévore près de 3 000 pièces de théâtre en quelques années seulement! Il lit tellement que ses camarades lui demandent déjà de leur procurer tel ou tel livre, signe précurseur de sa future profession. Désillusionné de la voie religieuse et fier défenseur de la liberté de s'instruire sans contrainte, Tranquille renonce finalement à sa vocation de prêtrise et ouvre sa première librairie à l'âge de 21 ans, en octobre 1937. C'est le début d'une longue aventure qui le mènera en 1948 à l'inauguration de la librairie Tranquille.
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• Henri Tranquille, libraire, à l’âge de 33 ans.
• Henri Tranquille âgé de 26 ans, entouré de ses six frères, de sa sœur et de ses parents, Josaphat et Rose-Alma Tranquille, 1942.
• Les Tranquille tiennent leur nom de famille d'un ancêtre nommé Pierre Jourdanais dit Tranquille. C'est un patronyme plutôt rare : selon le recensement de 1921, seules 22 personnes portent alors ce nom dans la province. Henri Tranquille confiera qu’« on a souvent cru que ce n'était pas mon nom, que c'était la raison sociale de la librairie, tout simplement, parce que c'est un lieu généralement calme et silencieux… »
• Cartes de visite Tranquille et Boucher, libraires, 1943, et de la librairie Tranquille.
• La façade librairie Tranquille, du 67 Sainte-Catherine ouest, peinte aux couleurs bleues suggérées par l'artiste Alfred Pellan.
• Henri Tranquille a mis sur pied et dirigé plusieurs librairies avant d'ouvrir la célèbre librairie Tranquille en 1948. Il ouvre d'abord la librairie Françoyse (pour « française ») en 1937 grâce à un don de 100 $ de sa mère et à l'impressionnante collection de ses propres livres amassés au fil des années. De 1943 à 1948, il s'associe à son ancien camarade du collège Sainte-Marie Fernand Boucher et, ensemble, ils inaugurent la librairie Tranquille et Boucher, située à l'époque sur la rue Saint-Denis. Le point culminant de la carrière d'Henri Tranquille se concrétise cependant en 1948 avec l'ouverture de la librairie Tranquille, au 67, rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest.
• Henri Tranquille, Monsieur Livre, en 1980.
• Henri Tranquille se voit honoré du titre bien mérité de Monsieur Livre au Salon du livre de Montréal en 1980. D'autres reconnaissances suivent au fil des années : en 1996, il gagne le prix Fleury-Mesplet qui souligne son apport au monde de l'édition québécoise, puis, en 1999, il est nommé Chevalier de l'Ordre national du Québec.
• En 2019, l'esplanade Clark est renommée « esplanade Tranquille » en son honneur et en souvenir de la librairie qu'il tenait sur ce site.
The bookseller Henri Tranquille (1916-2005) would profoundly influence the artistic and literary scene of Quebec. Born in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighborhood, he grew up in Lachine in a family of modest origins. This did not prevent the young Tranquille from cultivating a genuine passion for reading very early on, a passion that, like many children at the time, initially manifested itself through the world of comic books.
Tranquille later developed an admiration for the great authors of French literature, whom he discovered during his classical course at Collège Sainte-Marie. Although he studied there to become a priest, his enthusiasm for reading quickly took over: he devoured nearly 3,000 plays in just a few years! He read so much that his classmates were already asking him to get this or that book for them, a precursor to his future profession. Disillusioned with the religious path and a proud defender of the freedom to learn without constraint, Tranquille ultimately renounces his vocation for the priesthood and opens his first bookstore at the age of 21, in October 1937. It is the beginning of a long adventure that will lead him in 1948 to the inauguration of the Tranquille bookstore.
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• Henri Tranquille, bookseller, at the age of 33.
• Henri Tranquille at 26 years old, surrounded by his six brothers, his sister, and his parents, Josaphat and Rose-Alma Tranquille, 1942.
• The Tranquille family takes its surname from an ancestor named Pierre Jourdanais called Tranquille. It is a rather rare surname: according to the 1921 census, only 22 people bore this name in the province at that time. Henri Tranquille would confide that "people often thought it wasn't my name, that it was simply the business name of the bookstore, because it is generally a calm and quiet place…"
• Business cards Tranquille and Boucher, booksellers, 1943, and from the Tranquille bookstore.
• The facade of the Tranquille bookstore, at 67 Sainte-Catherine West, painted in blue colors suggested by the artist Alfred Pellan.
• Henri Tranquille established and managed several bookstores before opening the famous Tranquille bookstore in 1948. He first opened the Françoyse bookstore (for "French") in 1937 thanks to a $100 gift from his mother and his impressive collection of his own books accumulated over the years. From 1943 to 1948, he partnered with his former classmate from Collège Sainte-Marie, Fernand Boucher, and together they inaugurated the Tranquille and Boucher bookstore, then located on Saint-Denis Street. However, the pinnacle of Henri Tranquille's career materialized in 1948 with the opening of the Tranquille bookstore at 67 West Sainte-Catherine Street.
• Henri Tranquille, Mr. Book, in 1980.
• Henri Tranquille is honored with the well-deserved title of Mr. Book at the Montreal Book Fair in 1980. Other recognitions follow over the years: in 1996, he wins the Fleury-Mesplet Prize, which highlights his contribution to the Quebec publishing world, and then, in 1999, he is named Knight of the National Order of Quebec.
• In 2019, Clark Esplanade is renamed "Tranquille Esplanade" in his honor and in memory of the bookstore he ran on this site.
Topics.
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Location. 45° 30.57′ N, 73° 33.873′ W. Marker is in Montréal, Québec. It is in Quartier des Spectacles. It can be reached from the intersection of Rue Clark and Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest, on the left when traveling west. The marker is near the northeast corner of Esplanade Tranquille. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1442 Rue Clark, Montréal QC H2X 2R3, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, and the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Rupert’s Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: La Librairie Tranquille (here, next to this marker); La passion partagée de la littérature à la Librairie Tranquille (here, next to this marker); L'avant-garde artistique au rendez-vous Chez Tranquille
Henri Tranquille collection, Université de Sherbrooke
2. Marker detail: La façade librairie Tranquille
La façade librairie Tranquille, du 67 Sainte-Catherine ouest, peinte aux couleurs bleues suggérées par l’artiste Alfred Pellan. • • • The façade of the Tranquille bookstore, at 67 Sainte-Catherine West, painted in the blue colors suggested by the artist Alfred Pellan.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Esplanade Tranquille
Also see . . .
1. Henri Tranquille (Ordre national du Québec).
Excerpt : À 21 ans, il réalise un rêve qui deviendra alors toute sa vie, en ouvrant une librairie qui, durant 38 ans, soit de 1937 à 1975, est en quelque sorte le premier centre culturel du Québec. Un centre vivant et vivifiant où les intellectuels de l'époque, les artistes, les peintres et les autres créateurs se rencontrent régulièrement et où M. Tranquille organise des lancements et des expositions.(Submitted on May 27, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)[English translation] At 21, he fulfills a dream that will then become his whole life, by opening a bookstore that, for 38 years, from 1937 to 1975, is in a way the first cultural center of Quebec. A lively and invigorating center where the intellectuals of the time, artists, painters, and other creators regularly meet and where Mr. Tranquille organizes launches and exhibitions.
2. The bookseller Henri Tranquille (1973) (YouTube – Radio Canada Archives).
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 19, 2024
3. Henri Tranquille Marker
Looking west through Esplanade Tranquille.
“In short, reading is, in my opinion, the most important form of conversation there is.” ~ Henri Tranquille(Submitted on May 27, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Henri Tranquille, a bookseller from 1937 to 1975, left his mark on Quebec’s cultural and political landscape. In 1948, the Refus global manifesto was launched and distributed at his bookstore, “Tranquille,” on Sainte-Catherine Street West in Montreal.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 28, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 26, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 12 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 27, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
