Gaston Miron
Encyclopedia
Gaston Miron, was an important poet
, writer
, and editor
of the Quebec
post Quiet Revolution
. His masterpiece
, L'homme rapaillé (partly translated as The March to Love: Selected Poems of Gaston Miron, whose title echoes Miron's most celebrated poem La marche à l'amour
) has sold over 100 000 copies, in Quebec and overseas, ensuring Miron as one of the most widely read authors of Quebec literature http://agora.qc.ca/mot.nsf/Dossiers/Gaston_Miron. His commitment for a sovereign Quebec, both politically and through his writings, associated with his popularity, placed Miron as a central figure of the Quebec nationalist movement
.
. He moved in Montreal in 1947, at a time when Maurice Duplessis
was reigning as Quebec premier. In 1953, with Olivier Marchand, Miron published his first work, Deux Sangs at Éditions de l'Hexagone, a publishing house they co-founded. Miron would become the main editor for this publishing house, the first entirely dedicated to Quebec poetry. The editorial line of l'Hexagone was to establish a "national literature" and put an end to the "poet's alienation" in the society of the time http://www.litterature-quebecoise.org/R-tran/Hexagone/manifeste.htm. The publications of the new publishing house, which rapidly signed young and innovative poets like Jean-Guy Pilon
and Fernand Ouellette, announced a modern and creative poetry that were sustaining and prolonging the earlier efforts of Alain Grandbois
, Paul-Marie Lapointe and Roland Giguère, all of whom would later joined the new publishing house.
Parallel to his editing work, Miron publishes several poems, notably his most renowned La Marche à l'amour, in various journals and newspapers, including Le Devoir
, Liberté and Parti pris. Perhaps as importantly, he animates several artistic and political circles in cafés around "le carré St-Louis" where he lived. His flamboyant style and articulated speeches made him a popular figure in a then revitalizing Plateau Mont-Royal. This animation is soon followed by various texts, many of which on the status of the French language and on the Quebec political position. These texts, despite not being published at the time, would nevertheless have an important diffusion thanks to Miron's importance in the animation of Montreal intellectual nights, and would contribute to the boiling giving birth to the Quiet Revolution
. Miron's relative underground efforts (he did not publish a book since 1953) would be exposed to the public light by an important conference given by Jacques Brault, in 1966, at Université de Montréal, which began by: "Qui parmi nous ne connaît pas Gaston Miron?" (Who among us does not know Gaston Miron?)http://www.litterature-quebecoise.org/R-tran/Hexagone/miron.htm. In the late 1960s, Miron stars in several "nights of poetry" that attracted a wide audience and contributed to place him as a leading voice of Quebec poetry. In 1969, he becomes the father of his lone child, Emmanuelle.
Pressure started to weigh on Miron for him to recollect his fragmented works and publish it under a same cover, and in 1970, despite Miron's feeling that his work was not yet qualified enough for publication, Miron gave in and published L'homme rapaillé. The book, which alternates between poems expressing lyrically a vivid vision of love and those embodying the alienated situation of the French-speaking Québécois, was an instant success and soon attracted many honors. The book was characterized by a highly lyrical style and drew as much in Québécois orality as in formal vocabulary.
Shortly after the publication of his book, Miron is arrested and put in jail without trial during the events of the October Crisis
. This arrest solidified his commitment to politics and support for the Quebec sovereignty. In 1975, he published his Courtepointes, which would later be integrated in L'homme rapaillé.
In December 1996, in Montreal, Miron died. He became the first Quebec author to receive a state funeral http://www.litterature-quebecoise.org/R-tran/Hexagone/miron.htm.
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, and editor
Edition
In printmaking, an edition is a number of prints struck from one plate, usually at the same time. This is the meaning covered by this article...
of the Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
post Quiet Revolution
Quiet Revolution
The Quiet Revolution was the 1960s period of intense change in Quebec, Canada, characterized by the rapid and effective secularization of society, the creation of a welfare state and a re-alignment of politics into federalist and separatist factions...
. His masterpiece
Masterpiece
Masterpiece in modern usage refers to a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or to a work of outstanding creativity, skill or workmanship....
, L'homme rapaillé (partly translated as The March to Love: Selected Poems of Gaston Miron, whose title echoes Miron's most celebrated poem La marche à l'amour
La marche à l'amour
"La marche à l'amour" is a poem by Gaston Miron , one of the most studied and celebrated in Quebec poetry. It was originally published in Le nouveau journal in 1962, in a cycle of seven poems also entitled "La marche à l'amour"...
) has sold over 100 000 copies, in Quebec and overseas, ensuring Miron as one of the most widely read authors of Quebec literature http://agora.qc.ca/mot.nsf/Dossiers/Gaston_Miron. His commitment for a sovereign Quebec, both politically and through his writings, associated with his popularity, placed Miron as a central figure of the Quebec nationalist movement
Quebec nationalism
Quebec nationalism is a nationalist movement in the Canadian province of Quebec .-1534–1774:Canada was first a french colony. Jacques Cartier claimed it for France in 1534, and permanent French settlement began in 1608. It was part of New France, which constituted all French colonies in North America...
.
Life
Gaston Miron was born in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, in a country region (Laurentides) 100 kilometers north of MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. He moved in Montreal in 1947, at a time when Maurice Duplessis
Maurice Duplessis
Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis served as the 16th Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from 1936 to 1939 and 1944 to 1959. A founder and leader of the highly conservative Union Nationale party, he rose to power after exposing the misconduct and patronage of Liberal Premier Louis-Alexandre...
was reigning as Quebec premier. In 1953, with Olivier Marchand, Miron published his first work, Deux Sangs at Éditions de l'Hexagone, a publishing house they co-founded. Miron would become the main editor for this publishing house, the first entirely dedicated to Quebec poetry. The editorial line of l'Hexagone was to establish a "national literature" and put an end to the "poet's alienation" in the society of the time http://www.litterature-quebecoise.org/R-tran/Hexagone/manifeste.htm. The publications of the new publishing house, which rapidly signed young and innovative poets like Jean-Guy Pilon
Jean-Guy Pilon
Jean-Guy Pilon, OC, CQ, FRSC is a Quebec poet.Born in Saint-Polycarpe, Quebec, he received a law degree from the Université de Montréal in 1954.-Honours:* In 1967, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada....
and Fernand Ouellette, announced a modern and creative poetry that were sustaining and prolonging the earlier efforts of Alain Grandbois
Alain Grandbois
Alain Grandbois, was a Canadian Quebecer poet, considered the first great modern one.Traveling around the world in 1918-1939 and sharing the hopes and problems of contemporary man, his work combined the themes of exploring the secrets of the world and studying human destiny, the writing and...
, Paul-Marie Lapointe and Roland Giguère, all of whom would later joined the new publishing house.
Parallel to his editing work, Miron publishes several poems, notably his most renowned La Marche à l'amour, in various journals and newspapers, including Le Devoir
Le Devoir
Le Devoir is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and the rest of Canada. It was founded by journalist, politician, and nationalist Henri Bourassa in 1910....
, Liberté and Parti pris. Perhaps as importantly, he animates several artistic and political circles in cafés around "le carré St-Louis" where he lived. His flamboyant style and articulated speeches made him a popular figure in a then revitalizing Plateau Mont-Royal. This animation is soon followed by various texts, many of which on the status of the French language and on the Quebec political position. These texts, despite not being published at the time, would nevertheless have an important diffusion thanks to Miron's importance in the animation of Montreal intellectual nights, and would contribute to the boiling giving birth to the Quiet Revolution
Quiet Revolution
The Quiet Revolution was the 1960s period of intense change in Quebec, Canada, characterized by the rapid and effective secularization of society, the creation of a welfare state and a re-alignment of politics into federalist and separatist factions...
. Miron's relative underground efforts (he did not publish a book since 1953) would be exposed to the public light by an important conference given by Jacques Brault, in 1966, at Université de Montréal, which began by: "Qui parmi nous ne connaît pas Gaston Miron?" (Who among us does not know Gaston Miron?)http://www.litterature-quebecoise.org/R-tran/Hexagone/miron.htm. In the late 1960s, Miron stars in several "nights of poetry" that attracted a wide audience and contributed to place him as a leading voice of Quebec poetry. In 1969, he becomes the father of his lone child, Emmanuelle.
Pressure started to weigh on Miron for him to recollect his fragmented works and publish it under a same cover, and in 1970, despite Miron's feeling that his work was not yet qualified enough for publication, Miron gave in and published L'homme rapaillé. The book, which alternates between poems expressing lyrically a vivid vision of love and those embodying the alienated situation of the French-speaking Québécois, was an instant success and soon attracted many honors. The book was characterized by a highly lyrical style and drew as much in Québécois orality as in formal vocabulary.
Shortly after the publication of his book, Miron is arrested and put in jail without trial during the events of the October Crisis
October Crisis
The October Crisis was a series of events triggered by two kidnappings of government officials by members of the Front de libération du Québec during October 1970 in the province of Quebec, mainly in the Montreal metropolitan area.The circumstances ultimately culminated in the only peacetime use...
. This arrest solidified his commitment to politics and support for the Quebec sovereignty. In 1975, he published his Courtepointes, which would later be integrated in L'homme rapaillé.
In December 1996, in Montreal, Miron died. He became the first Quebec author to receive a state funeral http://www.litterature-quebecoise.org/R-tran/Hexagone/miron.htm.
Works
- Deux sangs (co-authored by Gaston MIRON and Olivier MARCHAND), Montréal, Éditions de l’Hexagone, 1953.
- L’homme rapaillé, Montréal, Presses de l’Université de Montréal (for the first edition), 1970.
- Courtepointes, Ottawa, Éditions de l’Université d’Ottawa, 1975.
- Poèmes épars, edition of texts from 1947 à 1995, under the direction of Marie-Andrée BEAUDET and Pierre NEPVEU, Montréal, Éditions de l’Hexagone, 2003.
- Un long chemin (d’autres proses), texts in prose, under the direction of Marie-Andrée BEAUDET and Pierre NEPVEU, Montréal, Éditions de l’Hexagone, 2004.
- , letter exchanges between Gaston MIRON and Claude HAEFFELY, Éditions Lemeac, 1989.
Honors
- 1970 - Prix Québec-Paris, L'Homme rapaillé
- 1971 - Grand Prix littéraire de la Ville de Montréal
- 1972 - Prix Littéraire Canada-Communauté Française de Belgique
- 1977 - Prix Ludger-Duvernay
- 1981 - Prix Guillaume-Apollinaire
- 1983 - Prix Athanase-DavidPrix Athanase-DavidThe Prix Athanase-David is a literary award presented annually by the government of Quebec as part of the Prix du Québec to a Quebec writer, to honour the body of his or her work....
- 1985 - Prix Molson
- 1988 - Prix Fleury-Mesplet
- 1990 - Médaille de l'Académie des lettres du Québec
- 1991 - Médaille de l'Académie des lettres du Québec
- 1991 - Ordre des francophones d’Amérique
- 1996 - Officier de l'Ordre national du Québec
Works on Gaston Miron
- Jacques BRAULT. "Miron le magnifique", in Chemin faisant, Montréal, Boréal, coll. "papiers collés", 1994 [1975], p. 23-55.
- Claude FILTEAU (2005). L’espace poétique de Gaston Miron, preface by Jerusa Pires Ferreira, Limoges, Presses Universitaires de Limoges, coll. "Francophonie", 2005, 310 p.
- Yannick GASQUY-RESCH (2003). Gaston Miron, le Forcené magnifique, Éditions Hurtubise, 2003.
- Pierre NEPVEU (2002). Les mots à l’écoute, Québec, Les Presses de l’Université Laval / Éditions Nota bene, 1979 / 2002.