Louis Hémon (12 October 1880 – 8 July 1913), was a French writer best known for his novel ''

Maria Chapdelaine ''Maria Chapdelaine'' is a romance novel written in 1913 by the Breton writer Louis Hémon, who was then residing in Quebec.Guy Laflèche. Polémiques'. Editions du Singulier; 1992. . p. 126 – 128. Aimed at young French and Quebecois people ...

''.

Biography

He was born in Brest, France. In

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, where he resided with his family, he was enrolled in the Montaigne and Louis-le-Grand secondary schools. A bilingual secretary in several maritime agencies, he collaborated, starting from 1904, in a Parisian sports journal. After his studies of

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

and oriental languages in the Sorbonne, he moved to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. In 1911, he moved to Canada, settling initially in

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- ...

. Hémon wrote ''Maria Chapdelaine'' during his time working at a farm in the

Lac Saint-Jean Lac Saint-Jean (Canadian French: ) is a large, relatively shallow lake in south-central Quebec, Canada, in the Laurentian Highlands. It is situated north of the Saint Lawrence River, into which it drains via the Saguenay River. It covers an area ...

region. Hémon died when he was struck by a train at Chapleau,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. He never saw the widespread publication of his landmark novel. Since his death, ''Maria Chapdelaine'' has been translated into more than 20 languages in 23 countries,Maria Chapdelaine by Louis Hemon; illustrated by Rajka Kupesic
at www.tundrabooks.com while other novels were published posthumously. The work was also celebrated through a series of paintings by renowned Canadian artist, Rajka Kupesic. Hémon had one daughter, Lydia-Kathleen, from a relationship in England with Lydia O'Kelly. He is the subject of two biographical studies, ''L'aventure Louis Hémon'' (1974) by Alfred Ayotte and Victor Tremblay, and ''Louis Hémon, le fou du lac'' by Mathieu-Robert Sauvé.

Bibliography

* 1908: ''Lizzie Blakeston'' * 1913: ''

'' * 1923: ''La Belle que voilà'' * 1924: ''Colin-Maillard'' * 1926: ''Battling Malone, pugiliste'' * 1950: ''Monsieur Ripois et la Némésis''

Notes

External links

Biography at ''the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
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accessed 3 July 2006

accessed 3 July 2006 * 1880 births 1913 deaths Writers from Brest, France 20th-century French novelists Writers from Quebec Canadian novelists in French Railway accident deaths in Canada Accidental deaths in Ontario Lycée Louis-le-Grand alumni French male novelists 20th-century Canadian male writers 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century French male writers {{France-novelist-19thC-stub