|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
Date of birth: Place of birth:
Callings:
|
Photo : Micheline Rochette avec la permission de la Bibliothèque nationale du Canada
|
||
|
Antonine Maillet is a
novelist and playwright of great talent. She was
educated in Buctouche, Memramcook, Moncton,
Montreal and Quebec City. In 1962, she completed a
Licentiate in Literature at the Université
de Montréal. A recipient of a Canada Council
grant, she stayed in Paris from 1962 to 1964 and
from 1969 to 1970. She earned a Doctorat ès
lettres from the Université Laval in 1970.
She has had a number of Callings, including being a
teacher of literature at various colleges and
universities and a scriptwriter and broadcaster for
Radio-Canada in Moncton.
Her first novel was written
in 1958. Since then, she has published some thirty
works. She has won numerous literary prizes,
including the Prix Champlain for Pointe-aux-Coques
(1958), the Governor General's Award for Don
L'Orignal (1972), the Prix Québec-Paris and
the Prix des Volcans (France) in 1975 for
Mariaagelas. Finally, she is the first francophone
writer not living in France to be awarded the
prestigious Prix Goncourt for
Pélagie-la-Charrette, in 1979. This work has
been translated into English, Slovakian and
Bulgarian. Mrs. Maillet also holds a number of
honorary doctorates in literature and in law and is
a member of a number of associations and
organizations, including the Académie
canadienne-francaise, the Ordre des francophones
d'Amérique, the Haut-Conseil de la
francophonie and the Union des écrivains et
écrivaines du Québec.
Her work draws its
inspiration from the history, language, folklore,
traditions and geographical characteristics of her
region, Acadia. Her writings present a number of
imaginary people living in a world highly
reminiscent of Buctouche, her native village. Her
fiery commitment to Acadia and her people has
greatly contributed to their development in recent
decades. As she stated, loud and clear, at the
first Acadian World Congress on October 7, 1985,
"Acadia needs to say what it is, that it belongs to
the world Francophonie and, accordingly, it has a
place in the world, and this place is unique, like
that of every people in this world."
Today, Antonine Maillet is
Chancellor of the Université de Moncton and
continues to promote the French language in Canada
and in the world. At the 8th Francophone Summit,
held in Moncton in 1999, she awarded French
President Jacques Chirac an honorary doctorate in
political science. In addition, she is a member of
the board of directors of the Baxter and Alma
Ricard Foundation together with the Desmarais
family and Roméo LeBlanc, Governor General
of Canada from 1995 to 1999.
|
|||
Province:
