This article examines how France Daigle takes on Gérald Leblanc’s literary project of transforming Moncton into Acadie’s literary capital. First, we assess the role of and the need for a literary capital through the writings of Pascale Casanova and Raoul Boudreau. Then we analyze the writing strategies put forward by Leblanc in Moncton Mantra and reproduced by Daigle in Petites difficultés d’existence (Life’s Little Difficulties) to turn Moncton into a literary capital. We see that both writers counter Moncton’s relative size by emphasizing its urbanity. They depict the city as a cosmopolitan centre open to the world and as a magnet for artists and cultural agents.