École Gabrielle-Roy (Toronto)
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Gabrielle Roy (March 22, 1909July 13, 1983) was a Canadian author from
St. Boniface, Manitoba ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...
and one of the major figures in French Canadian literature.


Early life

Roy was born in 1909 in Saint-Boniface (now part of Winnipeg), Manitoba, and was educated at the Académie Saint-Joseph. She lived on rue Deschambault, a house and neighbourhood in Saint-Boniface that would later inspire one of her most famous works. The house is now a National Historic Site and museum in Winnipeg.


Career

After training as a teacher at The Winnipeg Normal School, she taught in rural schools in Marchand and
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and was then appointed to the Institut Collégial Provencher in Saint Boniface. With her savings she was able to spend some time in Europe, but was forced to return to Canada in 1939 at the outbreak of World War II. She returned with some of her works near completion, but settled in Quebec to earn a living as a sketch artist while continuing to write. Her first novel, ''Bonheur d'occasion'' (1945), gave a starkly realistic portrait of the lives of people in
Saint-Henri Saint-Henri is a neighbourhood in southwestern Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the borough of Le Sud-Ouest. Saint-Henri is usually considered to be bounded to the east by Atwater Avenue, to the west by the town of Montreal West, to the north by Au ...
, a working-class neighbourhood of Montreal. The novel caused many Quebeckers to take a hard look at themselves, and is regarded as the novel that helped lay the foundation for Quebec's Quiet Revolution of the 1960s. The original French version won her the prestigious Prix Femina in 1947. Published in English as '' The Tin Flute'' (1947), the book won the 1947 Governor General's Award for fiction as well as the
Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; french: Société royale du Canada, SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bil ...
's Lorne Pierce Medal. Distributed in the United States, where it sold more than three-quarters of a million copies, the Literary Guild of America made ''The Tin Flute'' a feature book of the month in 1947. The book garnered so much attention that Roy returned to Manitoba to escape the publicity. There are two French versions of ''Bonheur d'occasion''. The first was published in 1945 by Société des Éditions Pascal in two volumes. This version was translated in 1947 by
Hannah Josephson Hannah Josephson, née Geffen (June 6, 1900 – October 29, 1976), was an American historian of the United States as well as a journalist and librarian. Life and work Hannah Josephson was born in New York City, on June 6, 1900. She studied at H ...
, who removed several short passages from the English version. In 1965, Librairie Beauchemin published an abridged French version eliminating a number of passages. This second version was translated by Alan Brown in 1980. As a result, there has never been an unabridged version of ''The Tin Flute'' published in English. In August 1947, she married Marcel Carbotte, a Saint Boniface doctor, and the couple set off for Europe where Carbotte studied
gynecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined are ...
and Roy spent her time writing. ''Where Nests the Water Hen'', Gabrielle Roy's second novel, is a sensitive and sympathetic tale that captures both the innocence and the vitality of a sparsely populated frontier. Another of her novels brought additional critical acclaim. ''Alexandre Chenevert'' (1954), is a dark and emotional story that is ranked as one of the most significant works of psychological
realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...
in the history of Canadian literature. She is considered by many to be one of the most important
Francophone French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...
writers in Canadian history and one of the most influential Canadian authors. In 1963, she was on a panel that gave the Montreal World's Fair, Expo 67, its theme: '' Terre des hommes'' or in English ''Man and His World''. It was her suggestion to use
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint-Exupéry, simply known as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (, , ; 29 June 1900 â€“ 31 July 1944), was a French writer, poet, aristocrat, journalist and pioneering aviator. He became a laureate of s ...
's 1939 book title as the organizing theme. In 2016,
Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, nin ...
, who had read her books as a teenager, wrote an essay about her career, and noted that her works were still more relevant than ever. Gabrielle Roy died in 1983 at the age of seventy-four. Her autobiography, ''La Détresse et l'enchantement'', was published posthumously and translated in 1984 by
Patricia Claxton Patricia Claxton (born 1929) is a Canadian translator, primarily of Quebec literature. A native of Kingston, Ontario, Patricia Claxton spent most of her childhood in India. Upon returning to Canada, she has made Montreal, Quebec's largest city, ...
, a prominent Quebec translator who is considered the primary translator of Gabrielle Roy's works from French to English. Her translation of Gabrielle Roy's autobiography, translated into English as ''Enchantment and Sorrow'' was awarded the Governor General's Award in 1987. The autobiography covers the years from Gabrielle Roy's childhood in Manitoba to the time when she settled in Quebec. The movie ''
Tramp at the Door A tramp is a long-term homeless person who travels from place to place as a vagrant, traditionally walking all year round. Etymology Tramp is derived from a Middle English verb meaning to "walk with heavy footsteps" (''cf.'' modern English ''t ...
'' is dedicated to her and supposedly depicts her childhood. Patricia Claxton won her second Governor General's Award in 1999 for translating
François Ricard François Ricard (4 June 1947 – 17 February 2022) was a Canadian writer and academic from Quebec.Companion of the Order of Canada * 1979 â€“ ''Courte-Queue'', book design and illustrations by François Olivier, was awarded the Canada Council Children's Literature Prize (translated by Alan Brown in 1980 as ''Cliptail''). * 2004 â€“ On September 29, 2004, the
Bank of Canada The Bank of Canada (BoC; french: Banque du Canada) is a Crown corporation and Canada's central bank. Chartered in 1934 under the ''Bank of Canada Act'', it is responsible for formulating Canada's monetary policy,OECD. OECD Economic Surveys: Ca ...
issued a $20 bank note in the
Canadian Journey Series Canadian Journey is the sixth series of banknotes of the Canadian dollar designed and circulated by the Bank of Canada. It succeeded the 1986 Birds of Canada banknote series. The first banknote of the Canadian Journey series issued into circula ...
which included a quotation from her 1961 book '' The Hidden Mountain'' (''La Montagne secrète''), and its English translation by Harry Binsse. * 2007 â€“ ''
Children of My Heart ''Children of My Heart'' is a novel by Gabrielle Roy, published in 1977. The novel, Roy's last published work of fiction, was originally published in French as ''Ces enfants de ma vie''. The novel's protagonist is "Gabrielle Roy", a young teacher ...
'' was selected for the 2007 edition of '' Canada Reads'' She won the Governor General's Award three times, the Prix David twice, the Prix Duvernay and the Molson Prize. The National Library of Canada (now
Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is th ...
) has preserved a collection of her materials covering the years 1940 to 1983, including manuscripts, typescripts, galleys of published and unpublished works such as ''La Rivière sans repos'', ''Cet été qui chantait'', ''Un jardin au bout du monde'', ''Ces enfants de ma vie'', and ''La Détresse et l'enchantement'', as well as business and personal correspondence, business records, and memorabilia.


Schools and a campus named in her honour

*
École/Collège régional Gabrielle-Roy École/Collège régional Gabrielle-Roy, built in 1984, is a French-language high school in Île-des-Chênes, Manitoba, Canada. It gathers students from the communities of Île-des-Chênes, Lorette, St. Norbert, La Salle, St. Adolphe, Ste. A ...
, a French-language combined elementary and high school in Île-des-Chênes, Manitoba, Canada * École élémentaire publique Gabrielle-Roy, a French-language elementary school in Gloucester, Ontario, Canada * École Gabrielle-Roy, a French-language elementary school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada * École Gabrielle-Roy, a French-language combined elementary and high school in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada * École publique Gabrielle-Roy, a Francophone K-12 school in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada * Gabrielle-Roy, the main campus of
CEGEP de l'Outaouais A CEGEP ( or ; ), also written cégep, CÉGEP and cegep, is a publicly funded college providing technical, academic, vocational or a mix of programs; they are exclusive to the province of Quebec's education system. A loanword from French, i ...
, a French-language CEGEP (provincial college) in the Province of Québec * École Gabrielle Roy, a Francophone middle school (gr. 7–8) in Chateauguay, Quebec, Canada


Selected writings

*'' The Tin Flute'' (''Bonheur d'occasion'') (1945) *''
Where Nests the Water Hen Where may refer to: * Where?, one of the Five Ws in journalism * where (command), a shell command * Where (SQL), a database language clause * Where.com, a provider of location-based applications via mobile phones * ''Where'' (magazine), a serie ...
'' (''La Petite Poule d'Eau'') (1950) *'' The Cashier'' (''Alexandre Chenevert'') (1954) *''
Street of Riches ''Street of Riches'' ('' fr.'' ''Rue Deschambault'') is a novel by the Canadian author Gabrielle Roy. It was originally published in French as ''Rue Deschambault'' by Beauchemin in 1955. An English translation by Harry L. Binsse, ''Street of Ri ...
'' (''Rue Deschambault'') (1955) *'' The Hidden Mountain'' (''La Montagne secrète'') (1961) *''
The Road Past Altamont ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
'' (''La Route d'Altamont'') (1966), transl.
Joyce Marshall Joyce Marshall (November 28, 1913 – October 22, 2005) was a Canadian writer and translator. Biography The daughter of William Marshall and Joyce Chambers, she was born in Montreal and was educated there and in the Eastern Townships. She we ...
(1913–2005) *'' Windflower'' (''La Rivière sans repos'') (1970), transl. Joyce Marshall *''
Enchanted Summer Enchanted may refer to: Film * ''Enchanted'' (film), a 2007 Disney film * '' Okouzlená'' or ''Enchanted'', a 1942 Czech film * ''Enchanted'', a 1998 film featuring David Kaufman Literature * ''The Enchanted'' (play), a 1950 English play by Mau ...
'' (''Cet été qui chantait'') (1972), transl. Joyce Marshall *''
Garden in the Wind A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...
'' (''Un jardin au bout du monde'') (1975) *''
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'' (''Ma vache Bossie'') (1976) *''
Children of My Heart ''Children of My Heart'' is a novel by Gabrielle Roy, published in 1977. The novel, Roy's last published work of fiction, was originally published in French as ''Ces enfants de ma vie''. The novel's protagonist is "Gabrielle Roy", a young teacher ...
'' (''Ces Enfants de ma vie'') (1977) *'' The Fragile Lights of Earth'' (''Fragiles lumières de la Terre'') (1978) *'' Cliptail'' (''Courte-Queue'') (1979) *'' Enchantment and Sorrow'' (''La Détresse et l'enchantement'') (1984) *''
The Tortoiseshell and the Pekinese ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (''L'Espagnole et la Pékinoise'') (1987)


See also

* La Maison Gabrielle Roy (or "The House of Gabrielle Roy") is a museum in the childhood home of Gabrielle Roy (in St. Boniface / Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada).


References


External links


Biography
in '' Dictionary of Canadian Biography'' online (biographi.ca)
Order of Canada Citation

Excerpt from ''Children of My Heart''
at CBC Words at Large
Bank of Canada – Canadian Journey Series, 2004, $20, back: text from "La Montagne secrète"

Gabrielle Roy exhibit
at the
Canadian Museum of History The Canadian Museum of History (french: Musée canadien de l’histoire) is a national museum on anthropology, Canadian history, cultural studies, and ethnology in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. The purpose of the museum is to promote the heritage of C ...

Gabrielle Roy
in The Canadian Encyclopedia
Gabrielle Roy: An English Canadians' Favorite French Canadian
* Illustrer les textes pour enfants écrits par Gabrielle Roy in Cahiers Franco-Canadiens de l'Ouest Vol. 16, Nos 1–2, 2005, p. 75-11

*
Roy: du manuscript au virtuel
named "Hyperroy", at UQAM * (French
Fonds Gabrielle Roy et Marcel Carbotte (R11800)
at
Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is th ...
* (French
Fonds Gabrielle Roy (R11799)
at
Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is th ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roy, Gabrielle 1909 births 1983 deaths 20th-century Canadian novelists Companions of the Order of Canada Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Franco-Manitoban people Governor General's Award-winning fiction writers People from Saint Boniface, Winnipeg Prix Femina winners Writers from Winnipeg Writers from Quebec Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Prix Athanase-David winners Canadian women novelists Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 20th-century Canadian women writers Canadian novelists in French 20th-century Canadian non-fiction writers Canadian women non-fiction writers Canadian autobiographers Women autobiographers Canadian non-fiction writers in French 20th-century letter writers