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 Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, 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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. She returned with some of her works near completion, but settled in

Quebec 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 ...

to earn a living as a sketch artist while continuing to write. Feature

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 ...

, a working-class neighbourhood of

Montreal 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- ...

. The novel caused many

kers 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 ''The Tin Flute'' (original French title ''Bonheur d'occasion'', literally "secondhand happiness") is the first novel by Canadian author Gabrielle Roy and a classic of Canadian fiction. Imbued with Roy's brand of compassion and understanding, th ...

'' (1947), the book won the 1947

Governor General's Award The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by th ...

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, 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 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 mov ...

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 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It was a category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most su ...

, 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 – 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, ...

, 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, 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

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 ''tr ...

'' is dedicated to her and supposedly depicts her childhood. Patricia Claxton won her second Governor General's Award in 1999 for translating François Ricard's biography of Gabrielle Roy.

Awards and recognition

* 1946 – La Médaille de l'académie des lettres du Québec * 1947 – Prix Femina for ''Bonheur d'occasion'' (''The Tin Flute'') * 1947 – Governor General's Award for Fiction for ''The Tin Flute'' * 1947 – Royal Society of Canada's Lorne Peace Medal for ''The Tin Flute'' * 1967 –

Companion 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 honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

* 1979 – ''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 – 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: C ...

issued a $20 bank note in the Canadian Journey Series which included a quotation from her 1961 book '' The Hidden Mountain'' (''La Montagne secrète''), and its English translation by Harry Binsse. * 2007 – ''

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

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 t ...

) 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 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 École publique Gabrielle-Roy is an elementary school in the Strathearn community of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It provides public francophone education to students from Kindergarten to grade 6. École Enfantine is a preschool program located wi ...

, a Francophone K-12 school in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada * Gabrielle-Roy, the main campus of CEGEP de l'Outaouais, 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

*''

'' (''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'' (''Rue Deschambault'') (1955) *'' The Hidden Mountain'' (''La Montagne secrète'') (1961) *'' The Road Past Altamont'' (''La Route d'Altamont'') (1966), transl. Joyce Marshall (1913–2005) *'' Windflower'' (''La Rivière sans repos'') (1970), transl. Joyce Marshall *'' Enchanted Summer'' (''Cet été qui chantait'') (1972), transl. Joyce Marshall *'' Garden in the Wind'' (''Un jardin au bout du monde'') (1975) *'' My Cow Bossie'' (''Ma vache Bossie'') (1976) *''

'' (''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'' (''L'Espagnole et la Pékinoise'') (1987)

References

External links

Biography
in ''

Dictionary of Canadian Biography The ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'' (''DCB''; french: Dictionnaire biographique du Canada) is a dictionary of biographical entries for individuals who have contributed to the history of Canada. The ''DCB'', which was initiated in 1959, is ...

'' 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 ...

Gabrielle Roy
in

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available f ...

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

* (French
Fonds Gabrielle Roy (R11799)
at

{{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