Félix Leclerc, (August 2, 1914 – August 8, 1988) was a

French-Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fre ...

singer-songwriter, poet, writer, actor and '' Québécois'' political activist. He was made an

Officer of the Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with ...

on December 20, 1968. Leclerc was

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication Posthumous publication refers to material that is published after the author's death. This can be because the auth ...

inducted into the

Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (''Panthéon des Auteurs et Compositeurs canadiens'') is a Canadian non-profit organization, founded in 1998 by Frank Davies, that inducts Canadians into their ''Hall of Fame'' within three different categori ...

for his songs "Moi, mes souliers", "Le P'tit Bonheur" and "Le Tour de l'île" in 2006.

History

Félix Leclerc was born in

La Tuque, Quebec La Tuque (; ) is a city located in north-central Quebec, Canada, on the Saint-Maurice River, between Trois-Rivières and Chambord. The population was 11,227 at the Canada 2011 Census, most of which live within the urban area. At over 28,000 s ...

, Canada in 1914, the sixth in a family of eleven children. He began his studies at the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottaw ...

but was forced to stop because of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. Leclerc worked at several jobs before becoming a radio announcer in

Québec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is the ...

and

Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières (, – 'Three Rivers') is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River across from the city of ...

from 1934 to 1937. In 1939, he began working as a writer at Radio-Canada in

Montréal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...

, developing scripts for radio dramas, including ''

Je me souviens () is the official motto of Quebec, and translated literally into English means: "I remember." The exact meaning of this short sentence is subject to several interpretations, though all relate to the history of the Quebec people. The motto can ...

''. He performed some of his earliest songs there. He also acted in various radio dramas, including ''Un homme et son péché''. He published a number of scripts and founded a performing company which presented plays throughout Québec. In 1950, he was discovered by Paris impresario, Jacques Canetti, and performed in France to great success. He signed a recording contract with

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

. He returned to Québec in 1953. In 1958, he received the top award of the

Académie Charles Cros The Académie Charles Cros (Charles Cros Academy) is an organization located in Chézy-sur-Marne, France, that acts as an intermediary between government cultural policy makers and professionals in music and the recording industry. The academy is ...

in France for his second album. He was invested into the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

in 1971, the National Order of Québec and became a Chevalier of the French

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

in 1986. Leclerc was the father of three children: the photographer and cameraman Martin Leclerc, film director

Francis Leclerc Francis Leclerc (born 1971 in Quebec City) is a Canadians, Canadian film director, film and television director, screenwriter and film editor. He is the son of Félix Leclerc. Since 1995 he has worked in the Quebec film industry, directing music v ...

and Nathalie Leclerc, general and artistic director of l’Espace Félix-Leclerc and vice-president of the Fondation Félix-Leclerc. He died in his sleep in

Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans is a municipality in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada, part of the L'Île-d'Orléans Regional County Municipality. It is situated on the west side of Orléans Island, and accessible by Quebec Rou ...

Québec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

, in 1988. A monument in his memory was constructed there in 1989. A house which he occupied from 1946 to 1967 (and where his son Martin stayed with his mother for another year) is also a museum in his honour in

Vaudreuil-Dorion Vaudreuil-Dorion () is a suburb of Greater Montreal, in the Montérégie region of southwestern Quebec, Canada. The result of the merger of two towns, Vaudreuil and Dorion, it is located in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges Regional County Municipality. ...

, west of Montréal. Leclerc played a major role in revitalising the Québec folk song ("chanson") tradition. He also was a strong voice for Québec nationalism. Several parks, roads, and schools in Québec have been named in his honour. The Félix Awards, given to Quebec recording artists, are named after him. In 2000, the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-i ...

honored him with a

postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the f ...

. His semi-autobiographical novel ''Pieds nus dans l'aube'' was adapted by his son, filmmaker Francis Leclerc, as the 2017 film '' Barefoot at Dawn''."«Pieds nus dans l’aube» — La poésie de l’enfance"
''

Le Devoir ''Le Devoir'' (, "Duty") is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and throughout Canada. It was founded by journalist and politician Henri Bourassa in 1910. ''Le Devoir'' is one of few independent large-c ...

'', October 21, 2017.

Recordings

*''Chante ses derniers succès sur disques'' (1951) *''Félix Leclerc chante'' (1957) *''Félix Leclerc et sa guitare'' (1958) *''Félix Leclerc et sa guitare Vol. 2'' (1959) *''Félix Leclerc et sa guitare Vol. 3'' (1959) *''Le roi heureux'' (1962) *''Félix Leclerc'' (1964) *''Mes premières chansons'' (1964) *''Moi mes chansons'' (1966) *''La vie'' (1967) *''L'héritage'' (1968) *''Mes Longs Voyages'' (1968) *''Félix Leclerc dit pieds nus dans l'aube'' (1969) *''J'inviterai l'enfance'' (1969) *''L'alouette en colère'' (1972) *''Le tour de l'île'' (1975) *''Mon fils'' (1978) *''Le bal'' (1979) *''Mouillures'' (1979) *''Prière bohémienne'' (1979) *''La légende du petit ours gris'' (1979)

Writings

*''Adagio'' (tales, 1943) *''Allegro'' (fables, 1944) *''Andante'' (poems, 1944) *''Pieds nus dans l'aube'' (novel, 1946) *''Dialogue d'hommes et de bêtes'' (theater, 1949) *''Le hamac dans les voiles'' (anthology, 1952) *''Moi, mes souliers'' (autobiography, 1955) *''Le fou de l'île'' (novel, 1958) *''Le calepin d'un flâneur'' (short texts, 1961) *''L'auberge des morts subites'' (theater, 1963) *''Chansons pour tes yeux'' (poems, 1968) *''Cent chansons'' (songs, 1970) *''Carcajou ou le diable des bois'' (novel, 1973) *''Qui est le père?'' (theater, 1977) *''Le petit livre bleu de Félix ou Le nouveau calepin du même flâneur'' (short texts, 1978) *''Rêves à vendre'' (poems, 1978) *''Le dernier calepin'' (short texts, 1988)

References

External links

Fondation Félix-Leclerc
(Foundation to preserve Félix Leclerc's work, in French) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Leclerc, Felix 1914 births 1988 deaths French Quebecers Songwriters from Quebec French-language singers of Canada 20th-century Canadian poets Canadian male poets Grand Officers of the National Order of Quebec Quebec sovereigntists Officers of the Order of Canada Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Canadian singer-songwriters Singers from Quebec Prix Denise-Pelletier winners People from La Tuque, Quebec Polydor Records artists Philips Records artists Writers from Quebec Canadian poets in French 20th-century Canadian male singers 20th-century Canadian male writers

History

Recordings

Writings

See also

References

External links