Gabrielle Roy, Saint-Henri, Montréal, Québec

As the plaque below states (in French), Julien Hébert has enriched the mezzanine of the Place Saint-Henri métro station with his varnished brick mural, which bears the same title as Gabrielle Roy's novel Bonheur d'occasion (1945), which is set in the Saint-Henri area south-west of Montréal. And it is hardly surprising that Roy, when asked for permission to use her title, gave her whole-hearted approval.

Bonheur d'occasion, which won the Prix Femina in 1947, literally means 'Secondhand Happiness', although its English translation is The Tin Flute. I've not read the book yet, but whatever is wrong with a literal translation of the title?

'Julien Hébert
Bonheur d'occasion (1980)
Brique vernissée

L'artiste a enrichi la mezzanine de la station d'une murale faite de
briques vernissées et colorées, intitulée Bonheur d'occasion. Cette
murale réfère au roman du même title de Gabrielle Roy et au quartier
Saint-Henri que l'auteure y a décrit dans les années 1940.

L'artiste a demandé la permission à Gabrielle Roy d'utiliser
le titre de son roman, ce qu'elle a accepté de grand cœur.'

'BONHEUR D'OCCASION' is certainly visible here, but subtly so: the colors don't shout, they blend in with the background.

And yet close up, the distinction is quite clear.

Below is a link to my comment on the novel:

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Gabrielle Roy: Bonheur d'occasion