Browse "Writers & Academics"

Marie-Claire Blais, C.C., O.C., M.S.R.C., novelist, dramatist and poet (born 5 October 1939 in Quebec City). Among the best known and most studied of Canadian authors, she has close to 50 works to her name. A proud activist in support of the francophonie, she explores violence, rebellion and hate, and other themes through her work.

Mary Jane Michelle Tisseyre (née Ahern), OC, television host, journalist and translator (born 13 December 1918 in Montréal, QC; died 21 December 2014 in Montréal).

Nancy Louise Huston, novelist, essayist (b at Calgary, Alta, 16 Sep 1953). Nancy Huston grew up in Calgary and Wilton, New Hampshire. In 1973, after attending Sarah Lawrence College, she moved to France, where she studied at the Université de Paris under Roland Barthes.

Napoléon Aubin (baptized Aimé-Nicolas), editor, journalist, printer, poet, scientist, conductor and composer (born 9 November 1812 in Chêne-Bougeries, suburb of Geneva, Switzerland; died 12 June 1890 in Montréal, Québec).

Nelly Arcan, née Isabelle Fortier (born 5 March 1973 in Lac-Mégantic, QC; died 24 September 2009 in Montréal, QC) was a Québec novelist who specialized in autobiographical fiction.

Olive Patricia Dickason (née Williamson), CM, Métis journalist, historian, university professor, author (born 6 March 1920 in Winnipeg, MB; died 12 March 2011 in Ottawa, ON). Dickason was the first scholar in Canada to receive a PhD in Indigenous history. Her ground-breaking research and books about Indigenous and Métis history and culture transformed how Canadians perceive the origin of their country and Indigenous peoples. Dickason’s work inspired a new generation of scholars, helping to launch Indigenous studies as an area of scholarly research. She received an Order of Canada in recognition of her achievements.

Pierre Bourgault, journalist, politician, author and professor (born 23 January 1934 in East-Angus, QC; died 16 June 2003 in Montréal, QC). A talented public speaker and advocate of the French language, Bourgault was a pioneer of the Québec sovereignty movement.

Pierre Vallières, writer (b at Montréal 22 Feb 1938; d Dec 1998). Vallières was a journalist in Montréal before joining the FRONT DE LIBÉRATION DU QUÉBEC (FLQ) in 1965.

Priscila Uppal, FRSC, poet, novelist, playwright, professor (born 30 October 1974 in Ottawa, ON; died 5 September 2018 in Toronto, ON). Dubbed “Canada’s coolest poet,” Priscila Uppal was a politically pointed voice in contemporary Canadian poetry. Her writing addressed issues surrounding women, violence, sexuality, culture, religion, illness and loss. Her works were shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize and a Governor General’s Literary Award. She was named the Canadian Athletes Now Fund poet-in-residence for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and Paralympics, and the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in London, England. She also taught creative writing and English literature at York University.

Réjean Ducharme, OQ, writer (born 12 August 1941 in Saint-Félix-de-Valois, Québec; died 21 August 2017 in Montréal). Prominent Québécois novelist, playwright, scriptwriter and lyricist, Réjean Ducharme guarded his privacy since his first novel, L'Avalée des avalés, was published in 1966. He was never seen in public, and was admired as much for the uniqueness of his works as for the mythology surrounding him.

Richard Wagamese, Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) novelist, journalist, mentor (born 4 October 1955 in northwestern ON; died 10 March 2017 in Kamloops, BC). A well-known Indigenous writer in Canada, Wagamese won several awards including the Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prize (2013) and the Writers’ Trust of Canada’s Matt Cohen Award (2015). His works speak about the historical and contemporary socio-economic issues affecting Indigenous communities in Canada. They also bring attention to issues regarding Indigenous identity, culture and truth and reconciliation. A beloved writer, Wagamese’s works have inspired many Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples and writers alike.

Lemelin has published 4 novels, a short-story collection and some nonfiction. Most successful have been his novels, Au pied de la pente douce (1944; tr The Town Below, 1948) and LesPLOUFFE (1948; tr The Plouffe Family, 1950).

Sandra Birdsell (née Sandra Bartlette), CM, Mennonite-Métis, short-story writer, novelist (born 22 April 1942 in Hamiota, MB). Birdsell’s fiction often investigates the lives of small-town characters, especially women. She has written novels, plays, radio dramas and scripts for television and film. Appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2010, Birdsell has been nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Award for English Language Fiction three times, and for the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2001.

Sheila Fischman, translator (born at Moose Jaw, SK 1 Dec 1937). Born in Saskatchewan, Sheila Fischman's family moved 2 years later to run the general store in Elgin, Ontario, where they were the only JEWISH family in the small town until they moved to Toronto.

​Thaïs Lacoste-Frémont, women’s rights activist, journalist, speaker (born 18 October 1886 in Montréal, Québec; died there 6 April 1963).

Victor-Lévy Beaulieu, journalist, novelist, essayist, playwright, publisher, polemicist (b at Saint-Paul-de-la-Croix, Que, 2 Sep 1945).

Yolande Villemaire, teacher, writer (b at St-Augustin-des-Deux-Montagnes, Qué 28 Aug 1949). After studying dramatic arts at UQAM, where she received her BA (1970) and MA (1974), she taught creative literature at the Rosemont CEGEP.

Yvan Bienvenue, poet, playwright, producer, translator, publisher (b at Saint-Hyacinthe, Qué 14 August 1962). Yvan Bienvenue studied playwriting at the École nationale de théâtre du Canada in the late 1980s and co-founded the Théâtre Urbi et Orbi with Stéphane Jacques in 1992.

Yves Beauchemin, writer (b at Noranda, Québec; d 26 June 1941). Before becoming a Radio-Québec researcher, Beauchemin taught and worked in publishing.

Yves Michaud, journalist, diplomat and politician (born 13 February 1930 in Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec).