Quebec literature
Encyclopedia
16th and 17th centuries
During this period, the society of New FranceNew France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
was being built with great difficulty. The French merchants contracted to transport colonists did not respect their end of the bargain, and the French and their Indian allies were at war with the Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
, allied to the English until 1701, etc. To add to these difficulties, the printing press was officially forbidden in Canada until the British Conquest.
In spite of this, some notable documents were produced in the early days of colonization and were passed down from generation to generation until today. The Voyage of Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier was a French explorer of Breton origin who claimed what is now Canada for France. He was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, which he named "The Country of Canadas", after the Iroquois names for the two big...
, the Muses de la Nouvelle-France of Marc Lescarbot
Marc Lescarbot
Marc Lescarbot was a French author, poet and lawyer, best known for his Histoire de la Nouvelle-France , based on his expedition to Acadia and research into French exploration. Considered one of the first great books in the history of Canada, it was printed in three editions, and was translated...
, the Voyages of Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....
are memories of the exploration of North America and the foundation of New France.
The Relations des jésuites, Le Grand voyage au pays des Hurons of Gabriel Sagard
Gabriel Sagard
Gabriel Sagard, baptized Théodat was a Catholic priest and missionary of the Franciscan Récollets order who is notable for his writings on New France and the Hurons . Sagard's origins, and the dates of his birth and death are obscure...
, the Écrits of Marguerite Bourgeois were written by the many religious founders of New France who had undertaken the task of converting the Sauvages to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
.
Many songs and poems were transmitted orally by the early French settlers. A popular French ballad, À la claire fontaine was adapted by the voyageurs
Voyageurs
The Voyageurs were the persons who engaged in the transportation of furs by canoe during the fur trade era. Voyageur is a French word which literally translates to "traveler"...
and gave us the version that is known today in Quebec.
The first patriotic song of Quebec (then known as le Canada) was written by a soldier, François Mariauchau d'Esgly. Entitled C'est le Général de Flip, it paid tribute to the resistance of the French at Quebec during the siege of General William Phips
William Phips
Sir William Phips was a shipwright, ship's captain, treasure hunter, military leader, and the first royally-appointed governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay....
in 1690.
In France, Canada and New France in general caught the interest of many writers, notably François Rabelais
François Rabelais
François Rabelais was a major French Renaissance writer, doctor, Renaissance humanist, monk and Greek scholar. He has historically been regarded as a writer of fantasy, satire, the grotesque, bawdy jokes and songs...
who refers to Cartier
Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier was a French explorer of Breton origin who claimed what is now Canada for France. He was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, which he named "The Country of Canadas", after the Iroquois names for the two big...
and Roberval in Pantagruel
Pantagruel
Pantagruel is an international Early Music ensemble specialising in semi-staged performances of Renaissance music. The group was formed in Essen, Germany at the end of 2002 by the English lutenist Mark Wheeler and the German born Dominik Schneider...
.
18th century
Until 1760, the themes of nature, explorations, and the Sauvages continued to mark the imagination of the civilization of New France. The Moeurs des sauvages américains of Joseph Lafiteau, Histoire de l'Amérique septentrionale of Bacqueville de la PotherieBacqueville de la Potherie
Bacqueville de la Potherie, also known as Claude-Charles Le Roy, was a French chronicler of New France.His most famous work is Histoire de I'Amerique septentrionale, an account of French expeditions to the Great Lakes and Mississippi region in the late 17th century. This book was written in 1702...
and the Histoire et description générale de la Nouvelle-France are in continuity with the writings of the preceding century.
The first verified use of the term Canadien to designate the descendants of French settlers in Canada was written in a song composed in 1756 in honor of Governor Vaudreuil
Pierre François de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal
Pierre François de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal was a Canadian-born French colonial governor in North America...
after the military victory of Fort Chouaguen. In 1758, Étienne Marchand wrote a famous poem in Le carillon de la Nouvelle-France. This song tells the story of the victorious battle of Fort Carillon
Fort Carillon
Fort Carillon was constructed by Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil, Governor of Canada, to protect Lake Champlain from a British invasion. The fort was not far from Fort Saint Frédéric. It was built to prevent an attack on Canada and slow the advance of the enemy long enough to send reinforcements...
.
The first poem written by a Canadien after the cession of Canada to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
is Quand Georges trois pris l'Canada written by an anonymous author in 1763.
The Quebec Gazette
Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph
The Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph, founded by William Brown as the Quebec Gazette on 21 June 1764, claims to be the oldest newspaper in North America...
newspaper was founded in Quebec City by William Brown on June 21, 1764. The bilingual
Bilingualism in Canada
The official languages of Canada are English and French, which "have equality of status and equal rights and privileges as to their use in all institutions of the Parliament and Government of Canada" according to Canada's constitution...
paper was published in both the French language and the English language and over the years survived to be the oldest newspaper still publishing in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
The literary trends of Europe and the rest of America slowly penetrated the cities, primarily Quebec City and Montreal. The writings of the Enlightenment and those produced at the time of the American and French revolutions were dominant in the available literature.
Valentin Jautard and Fleury Mesplet
Fleury Mesplet
Fleury Mesplet was a French-born Canadian printer.Born in Marseille and apprenticed in Lyon, he emigrated to London in 1773 where he set up shop in Covent Garden. In 1774 he emigrated to Philadelphia; it is thought that he may have been persuaded to do so by Benjamin Franklin...
published the first journal of Quebec, the Gazette du commerce et littéraire, in 1778–79. Valentin Jautard, a disciple of Voltaire and sympathizer with the American cause, published many poems under different pseudonyms.
Some notable names of the time are Joseph-Octave Plessis
Joseph-Octave Plessis
Joseph-Octave Plessis was a Canadian Roman Catholic clergyman from Quebec. He was the first archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec after the diocese was elevated to the status of an archdiocese....
, Ross Cuthbert
Ross Cuthbert
Ross Cuthbert was a Canadian writer, lawyer and politician.Born at Berthier and baptised at Montreal, as the son of James Cuthbert, he was heir to the seigneuries of Lanoraie and Dautray...
, Joseph Quesnel
Joseph Quesnel
Joseph Quesnel was a French Canadian composer, poet, and playwright. Among his works were two operas, Colas et Colinette and Lucas et Cécile; the former is considered to be the first Canadian opera....
and Pierre de Sales Laterrière
Pierre de Sales Laterrière
Pierre de Sales Laterrière , was an adventurer who left France in 1766. He was inspector and director of the Forges du Saint-Maurice and seigneur of Les Éboulements in New France ....
.
In France, Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
wrote L'Ingénu
L'Ingénu
L'Ingénu is a satirical novella by the French writer Voltaire, published in 1767. It tells the story of a Huron man transported to Paris in 1690...
, the tale of a Huron who visits France and also Chateaubriand, a French noble exiled in America, wrote Atala
Atala
Atala may refer to:* Atala , an Italian manufacturer of bicycles* 152 Atala, an asteroid.* Eumaeus atala, a species of butterfly.* Atala , a novella by François-René de Chateaubriand...
and René
René
René is a common given name in French-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus. René is originally only a masculine name . But in non-Francophone countries, the habit of giving the name René to both boys and girls is now common which sometimes surprises French speakers...
.
19th century
The 19th century marks the beginning of the first real literary works published by Quebecers, including Michel BibaudMichel Bibaud
Michel Bibaud was a writer and educator in Montreal.Bibaud was the founder and editor of La Bibliothèque canadienne with the close assistance of Joseph-Marie Bellenger. His body of work was diverse and large. The historical content has importance to the events of the time.Bibaud is credited with...
, Pierre Boucher de Boucherville, François Réal Angers
François Réal Angers
François-Réal Angers was a lawyer and writer from Quebec, Canada. He was born in Pointe-aux-Trembles into a family of farmers....
, Philippe Aubert de Gaspé (son), Amédée Papineau
Amédée Papineau
Louis-Joseph-Amédée Papineau, or Amédée Papineau the founder of the Société des Fils de la Liberté. He was the son of Louis-Joseph Papineau....
, Joseph Doutre, François-Xavier Garneau
François-Xavier Garneau
François-Xavier Garneau was a nineteenth century French Canadian notary, poet, civil servant and liberal who wrote a three-volume history of the French Canadian nation entitled Histoire du Canada between 1845 and 1848.Born in Quebec City, Garneau argued that Conquest was a tragedy, the consequence...
, Pierre Jean Olivier Chauveau, Louis-Antoine Dessaulles
Louis-Antoine Dessaulles
Louis-Antoine Dessaulles was a Quebec seigneur, journalist and political figure.He was born in Saint-Hyacinthe, Lower Canada in 1818, the son of Jean Dessaulles, and studied at the Collège de Saint-Hyacinthe and the Petit Séminaire de Montréal...
, H.-Émile Chevalier.
By 1860s, Quebec authors were able to acquire a certain autonomy. It was now easier to publish a book and mass produce it.
Antoine Gérin-Lajoie
Antoine Gérin-Lajoie
Antoine Gérin-Lajoie was a Québécois Canadian poet and novelist. He was the author of the famous poem Un Canadien Errant . He was the father of the sociologist Leon Gérin.- External links :*...
, Philippe-Joseph Aubert de Gaspé
Philippe-Joseph Aubert de Gaspé
Philippe-Joseph Aubert de Gaspé was a French Canadian writer and seigneur.He was born at Quebec City in 1786, the son of seigneur Pierre-Ignace Aubert de Gaspé and Catherine Tarieu de Lanaudière, the daughter of seigneur Charles-François Tarieu de La Naudière. The Aubert de Gaspé family was...
, Louis Fréchette, Arthur Buies, William Kirby
William Kirby (author)
William Kirby, was a Canadian author, best known for his classic historical novel, The Golden Dog.-Life:...
, Honoré Beaugrand
Honoré Beaugrand
Honoré Beaugrand was a Quebec journalist, politician, author and folklorist, born in Berthier County, Quebec....
, Laure Conan
Laure Conan
Laure Conan, pen name of Marie-Louise-Félicité Angers, , is regarded as the first true French-Canadian female novelist. She was born in Murray Bay, Canada East....
, Edith Maude Eaton
Edith Maude Eaton
Sui Sin Far was an author known for her writing about Chinese people in North America and the Chinese American experience...
, William Chapman, Jules-Paul Tardivel
Jules-Paul Tardivel
Jules-Paul Tardivel was an American–Québécois writer and a significant promoter of Quebec nationalism....
, Winnifred Eaton
Winnifred Eaton
Winnifred Eaton, was a Canadian author. Although she was of Chinese-British ancestry, she published under the Japanese pseudonym, Onoto Watanna.- Biography :...
, Pamphile Lemay were some of the key writers in this era.
An anonymous song, Les Raftsmen, became popular at the beginning of this century.
20th century
- Hubert AquinHubert AquinHubert Aquin was a novelist, political activist, essayist, filmmaker and editor....
- Nick Auf der MaurNick Auf der MaurNick Auf der Maur was a journalist, politician and "man about town" boulevardier in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was also the father of rock musician Melissa Auf der Maur, through his marriage to Linda Gaboriau....
- Victor BarbeauVictor BarbeauVictor Barbeau, was a Quebec writer and academic.Born in Montreal, Quebec, Barbeau was educated at Collège Sainte-Marie, Université Laval de Montréal, and University of Paris...
- Yves BeaucheminYves BeaucheminYves Beauchemin is a Quebec novelist.Born in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Beauchemin received his degree in French literature and art history at the Université de Montréal in 1965. He taught literature at the Collège Garneau and Université Laval...
- Victor-Lévy BeaulieuVictor-Lévy BeaulieuVictor-Lévy Beaulieu is a Québécois writer, playwright and editor.Born in Saint-Paul-de-la-Croix, in the area of Bas-Saint-Laurent, Victor-Lévy Beaulieu began primary school at Trois-Pistoles, moving later to Montréal-Nord.He began his public writing career at the Montreal weekly Perspectives,...
- Marie-Claire BlaisMarie-Claire BlaisMarie-Claire Blais, is a Canadian author and playwright.- Life :Born in Quebec City, Quebec, she was educated at a convent school and at Université Laval. It was at Laval that she met Jeanne Lapointe and Father Georges Lévesque, who encouraged her to write and, in 1959, to publish her first...
- Denise BombardierDenise BombardierDenise Bombardier, CQ is an esteemed yet controversial journalist, novelist, essayist, producer, and media personality who worked for the French-language television station Radio Canada for over 30 years....
- Paul-Émile BorduasPaul-Émile BorduasPaul-Émile Borduas was a Canadian painter known for his abstract paintings. He was also an activist for the separation of church and state, especially for art, in Quebec.- Biography :...
- Jacques BraultJacques BraultJacques Brault is a French Canadian poet and translator who currently lives in Cowansville, Quebec, Canada. He was born to a poor family, but received an excellent education at the Université de Montréal and at the Sorbonne in Paris...
- Roch CarrierRoch CarrierRoch Carrier, OC is a Canadian novelist and author of "contes" . He is among the best known Quebec writers in English Canada....
- Leonard CohenLeonard CohenLeonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
- Réjean DucharmeRéjean DucharmeRéjean Ducharme is a Quebec novelist and playwright who currently resides in Montreal. He is extremely reclusive and has not appeared at any public functions since his first successful book was published in 1966...
- Fernand DumontFernand DumontFernand Dumont was a québécois sociologist, philosopher, theologian and poet.Dumont was born in Montmorency, Quebec.Dumont died in Quebec.-External links:*...
- Esther DelisleEsther DelisleEsther Delisle Ph.D. is a French Canadian historian and author of historical works from Quebec.Born and raised in Quebec City, she completed her BA and MA in political science at Université Laval in Sainte-Foy, Quebec, and taught political theory at a Quebec CEGEP and worked as a researcher for...
- Louis EmondLouis Émond- Biography :Émond was born in Lévis, Quebec, Canada and earned his International Baccalaureate at the Petit Séminaire in Quebec City, where he studied under such teachers as Monique Ségal and Albert Dallard. At this time he discovered Noam Chomsky and wrote a thesis on the social satire in Les...
- Jacques FerronJacques FerronJacques Ferron was a Canadian physician and author.Jacques Ferron was born in Louiseville, Quebec, the son of Joseph-Alphonse Ferron and Adrienne Caron. On March 5, 1931 his mother died. He attended Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf but was expelled in 1936...
- Michel Garneau
- Susan GlickmanSusan GlickmanSusan Glickman is a Canadian writer and critic, celebrated for her wit, imagery, melodic language, and meticulous research. She is teacher of literature and creative writing, currently teaching at Ryerson University in Toronto...
- Jacques GodboutJacques GodboutJacques Godbout, CQ is a Canadian novelist, essayist, children's writer, journalist, filmmaker and poet. By his own admission a bit of a dabbler , Godbout has become one of the most important writers of his generation, with a major influence on post-1960 Quebec intellectual life.-Biography:Born in...
- Heward GraffteyHeward GraffteyWilliam Heward Grafftey, PC, QC was a Canadian politician and businessman.-Early life:Born in Montreal, Quebec, to a prosperous family, he was a cousin of artist Prudence Heward, and wrote "Chapter Four: Prudence Heward" in the 1996 book Portraits of a Life..His father, Major Arthur Grafftey, was...
- Lionel GroulxLionel GroulxLionel-Adolphe Groulx was a Roman Catholic priest, historian and Quebec nationalist. -Early life and ordination:Groulx was born at Chenaux, Quebec, Canada, the son of a farmer and lumberjack, and died in Vaudreuil, Quebec. After his seminary training and studies in Europe, he taught at Valleyfield...
- Germaine GuèvremontGermaine GuèvremontGermaine Guèvremont, born Grignon was a Canadian writer, who was a prominent figure in Quebec literature....
- Jean-Charles Harvey
- Anne HébertAnne HébertAnne Hébert, CC, OQ , was a Canadian author and poet. She is a descendant of famed French-Canadian historian Francois-Xavier Garneau, "and has carried on the family literary tradition spectacularly."...
- Louis HémonLouis HémonLouis Hémon , was a francophone writer best known for his novel Maria Chapdelaine.- Biography :He was born in Brest, France. In Paris, where he resided with his family, he was enrolled in the Montaigne and Louis-le-Grand secondary schools...
- A. M. KleinA. M. KleinAbraham Moses Klein was a Canadian poet, journalist, novelist, short story writer, and lawyer. He has been called "One of Canada's greatest poets and a leading figure in Jewish-Canadian culture."...
- Irving LaytonIrving LaytonIrving Peter Layton, OC was a Romanian-born Canadian poet. He was known for his "tell it like it is" style which won him a wide following but also made enemies. As T...
- Dany LaferrièreDany LaferrièreDany Laferrière is a francophone Haitian and Canadian novelist and journalist.Born in Port-au-Prince, Haïti, and raised in Petit Goâve, Laferrière worked as a journalist in Haïti before moving to Canada in 1976...
- Gilles Leclerc
- Roger LemelinRoger LemelinRoger Lemelin, was a Quebec novelist, television writer and essayist.-Biography:Lemelin was born in Quebec City. From 1944 to 1952, he was a Canadian correspondent for the American magazines Time and Life and, from 1972 to 1981, chief executive officer and editor of La Presse.In 1980 he was made...
- Antonine MailletAntonine MailletAntonine Maillet, is an Acadian novelist, playwright, and scholar. She was born in Bouctouche, New Brunswick and lives in Montreal, Quebec....
- Yann MartelYann MartelYann Martel is a Canadian author best known for the Man Booker Prize-winning novel Life of Pi.-Early life:Martel was born in Salamanca, Spain where his father was posted as a diplomat for the Canadian government. He was raised in Costa Rica, France, Mexico, and Canada...
- Gaston MironGaston MironGaston Miron, was an important poet, writer, and editor of the Quebec post Quiet Revolution. His masterpiece, L'homme rapaillé has sold over 100 000 copies, in Quebec and overseas, ensuring Miron as one of the most widely read authors of...
- Émile NelliganÉmile NelliganÉmile Nelligan was a francophone poet from Quebec, Canada.-Biography:Nelligan was born in Montreal on December 24, 1879 at 602, rue de La Gauchetière. He was the first son of David Nelligan, who arrived in Quebec from Dublin, Ireland at the age of 12. His mother was Émilie Amanda Hudon, from...
- Mordecai RichlerMordecai RichlerMordecai Richler, CC was a Canadian Jewish author, screenwriter and essayist. A leading critic called him "the great shining star of his Canadian literary generation" and a pivotal figure in the country's history. His best known works are The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Barney's Version,...
- Gabrielle RoyGabrielle RoyGabrielle Roy, CC, FRSC was a French Canadian author.- Biography :Born in Saint Boniface , Manitoba, Roy was educated at Saint Joseph's Academy...
- Félix-Antoine SavardFélix-Antoine SavardFélix-Antoine Savard, OC was a Canadian priest, academic, poet, novelist and folklorist.Born in Quebec City, he grew up in Chicoutimi, Quebec...
- David SolwayDavid SolwayDavid Solway is a Canadian poet, educational theorist, travel writer and literary critic of Jewish descent.He is a member of the Jubilate Circle and formerly a teacher of English Literature at John Abbott College...
- Hector de St-Denys Garneau
- Victor Teboul
- Yves ThériaultYves ThériaultYves Thériault, OC was a Canadian author.He was born in Quebec City to Alcide and Aurore Thériault. On April 21, 1942, he married Germaine Blanchet, with whom he would have two children, Marie-José and Yves-Michel...
- Michel TremblayMichel TremblayMichel Tremblay, CQ is a Canadian novelist and playwright.Tremblay grew up in the Plateau Mont-Royal, a French-speaking neighbourhood of Montreal, at the time of his birth a neighbourhood with a working-class character and joual dialect, something that would heavily influence his work...
- Roland Michel TremblayRoland Michel TremblayRoland Michel Tremblay is a French Canadian author, poet, scriptwriter, development producer and science-fiction consultant. He has been living in London since 1995.- Biography :...
- Victor Teboul
- Marie UguayMarie UguayMarie Uguay was a French Canadian poet from the province of Quebec.She was born in the former town of Ville-Émard which has now become a district of the city of Montreal....
- Pierre VallièresPierre VallièresPierre Vallières , was a Québécois journalist, and writer. He was considered an intellectual leader of the Front de libération du Québec ....
In addition, New Englanders of French-Canadian descent became important figures in American literature, notably Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
and Grace Metalious.
See also
- Culture of QuebecCulture of QuebecThe Culture of Quebec emerged over the last few hundred years, resulting from the shared history of the French-speaking majority in Quebec. It is unique to the Western World; Quebec is the only region in North America with a French-speaking majority, as well as one of only two provinces in Canada...
- List of Quebec authors
- Culture of CanadaCulture of CanadaCanadian culture is a term that explains the artistic, musical, literary, culinary, political and social elements that are representative of Canada and Canadians, not only to its own population, but people all over the world. Canada's culture has historically been influenced by European culture and...
- List of Canadian writers
- Francophone literatureFrancophone literatureFrancophone literature is literature written in the French language. Most often the term is misused to refer only to literature from francophone countries outside France, but this category includes French Literature, or Literature of France, that is literature written by French authors...