Jocelyne Saucier (born May 27, 1948 in Clair,

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

novelist and journalist based in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Career

Educated in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

at the

Université Laval (; English: ''Laval University)'' is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university traces its roots to the Séminaire de Québec, founded by François de Montmorency-Laval in 1663, making it the oldest institutio ...

, Saucier worked as a journalist in the

Abitibi-Témiscamingue Abitibi-Témiscamingue () is an administrative region located in western Québec, Canada, along the border with Ontario. It became part of the province in 1898. It has a land area of and its population was 147,082 people as of the 2021 cens ...

region of Quebec before publishing her

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

, ''La Vie comme une image'', in 1996. That book was a finalist for the

Governor General's Award for French-language fiction The Governor General's Award for French-language fiction is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian writer for a fiction book written in French. It is one of fourteen Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit, seven each ...

at the

1996 Governor General's Awards The 1996 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were presented on November 13, 1996.Philip Marchand, "Vanderhaeghe wins second fiction prize". ''Toronto Star'', November 13, 1996. English French References {{GovernorGeneralsAwards Go ...

. Her second novel, ''Les Héritiers de la mine'', was a finalist for the

Prix France-Québec The Prix France-Québec is a Canadian literary award, presented to a Canadian French language writer who has published work in either Canada or France. Administered by Quebec's General Delegation in Paris and the Fédération France-Quebec, the aw ...

in 2001, and her third novel, ''Jeanne sur les routes'', was a finalist at the

2006 Governor General's Awards The 2006 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit: Finalists in 14 categories (68 books) were announced October 16, winners announced November 21 and awards presented December 13. The prize for writers and illustrators was $15,000 and "a speci ...

. Her fourth novel, ''Il pleuvait des oiseaux'', won the Prix France-Québec, the

Prix Ringuet The Prix Ringuet is a Canadian literary award, presented each year by the Académie des lettres du Québec to an author from Quebec for a book of French-language fiction. First presented in 1983 as the Prix Molson, the award was later renamed for ...

, the

Prix des cinq continents de la francophonie The Prix des cinq continents de la francophonie (literally "Prize of the five continents of the francophonie") is a literary prize created in 2001 by the Organisation internationale de la francophonie The (OIF; sometimes shortened to ''L ...

, the Prix des lecteurs de Radio-Canada and the

Prix littéraire des collégiens The Prix littéraire des collégien·ne·s is a Canadian literary award, presented annually to a work of French-language Canadian literature selected by a committee of students from colleges and CEGEPs in Quebec. Presented for the first time in 200 ...

, while ''And the Birds Rained Down'', its English translation by Rhonda Mullins, was a finalist for the

Governor General's Award for French to English translation This is a list of recipients of the Governor General's Award for French-to-English translation. Winners and nominees 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s References {{Governor General's Literary Awards * Translation awards ...

at the

2013 Governor General's Awards The shortlisted nominees for the 2013 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 2,"Governor General Literary Award finalists announced". ''Vancouver Sun'', October 2, 2013. and the winners were announced on November 13. ...

."Governor General Literary Award finalists announced". ''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, and is the larg ...

'', October 2, 2013. ''Il pleuvait des oiseaux'' was selected for the 2013 edition of ''

Le Combat des livres ''Le Combat des livres'' is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Ici Radio-Canada Première in Canada. A French edition of the ''Canada Reads'' competition, the program was launched in 2004. It aired annually from ...

'', where it was championed by dancer and broadcaster Geneviève Guérard. ''And the Birds Rained Down'' was defended by

Martha Wainwright Martha Wainwright (born May 8, 1976) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. She has released seven critically-acclaimed studio albums. Wainwright is the daughter of musicians Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III and the younger si ...

in the 2015 edition of ''

Canada Reads ''Canada Reads'' is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC. The program has aired in two distinct editions, the English-language ''Canada Reads'' on CBC Radio One, and the Fre ...

''. A

film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

of ''Il pleuvait des oiseaux'' by director

Louise Archambault Louise Archambault is a Canadian film and television director and screenwriter.Adam Nayman"Louise Archambault" ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'', August 20, 2014. She is best known for her films '' Familia'', which won the Claude Jutra Award in 2005 ...

was released to theatres in 2019."Une première bande-annonce dévoilée pour «Il pleuvait des oiseaux»"
''

Le Journal de Montréal is a daily French-language tabloid newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Quebec and is also the largest French-language daily newspaper in North America. Established by Pierre Pé ...

'', April 25, 2019.

Works

* ''La Vie comme une image'' (1996, ) ** English translation ''House of Sighs'' (2001) * ''Les Héritiers de la mine'' (2000, ) ** English translation ''Twenty-One Cardinals'' (2015) * ''Jeanne sur les routes'' (2006, ) ** English translation ''Jeanne's Road'' (2010) * ''Il pleuvait des oiseaux.'' XYZ, Montréal 2011, ; Gallimard, Paris 2015 ** English translation ''And the Birds Rained Down'' by Rhonda Mullins. Coach House, Toronto 2012 ; Coach House, London 2015 *''À train perdu'' (2020) ** English translation ''And Miles To Go Before I Sleep'' (2022)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saucier, Jocelyne 1948 births Acadian writers 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists Canadian novelists in French Canadian women novelists Université Laval alumni People from Madawaska County, New Brunswick People from Abitibi-Témiscamingue Living people Canadian women journalists 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers Canadian women non-fiction writers Novelists from New Brunswick Novelists from Quebec