Maurice Henrie (December 19, 1936 – October 1, 2024) was a Canadian writer and academic.John Hare, "Ex-public servant prefers writing to previous career: Author Henrie finds books on the shelf a rewarding feeling". ''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as the Bytown ''Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the ''Ci ...

'', April 28, 1996. He was most noted as the winner of the

Trillium Book Award The Trillium Book Award ( or ''Prix Trillium'') is an annual literary award presented to writers in Ontario, Canada. It is administered by Ontario Creates, a Crown agency (Ontario), Crown agency of the Government of Ontario, which is overseen by ...

for

French literature French literature () generally speaking, is literature written in the French language, particularly by French people, French citizens; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of Franc ...

in 1996 for his novel ''Le Balcon dans le ciel''.

Life and career

Originally from Rockland,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, he worked in the federal civil service before publishing his debut short story collection ''La Chambre à mourir'' in 1988. The book was shortlisted for the Trillium Book Award in 1989, and was the winner of that year's

Ottawa Book Award Ottawa Book Award and Prix du livre d'Ottawa is a Canadian literary award presented by the City of Ottawa to the best English and French language books written in the previous year by a living author residing in Ottawa.

. In 1989, he published ''La Vie secrète des grands bureaucrates'', a volume of humorous and satirical essays about the civil service; the book's English translation, ''The Mandarin Syndrome: The Secret Life of Senior Bureaucrats'', was published in 1990 and was a finalist for the

Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, also known as the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour or just the Leacock Medal, is an annual Canadian literary award presented for the best book of humour written in English by a Canadian writer, publis ...

in 1991."Howard White wins Leacock". '' The Gazette'', May 7, 1991. He followed up in 1992 with both the sequel book ''Le Petit monde des grands bureaucrates'' and the short story collection ''Le Pont sur le temps'', with the latter again winning the Ottawa Book Award in 1993. ''Le Balcon dans le ciel'' was published in 1995.Val Ross, "French voices With all the media attention focused on Quebec, it's easy to forget that there are a million francophones living outside that province. From Alberta to New Brunswick, French has been a fact of life for generations - even if its survival now seems, in some communities, improbable". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', October 28, 1995. In addition to the Trillium Book Award, the novel was also the winner of the

Salon du livre de Toronto The Salon du livre de Toronto is an annual book fair in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, held to celebrate and publicize French language literature."'Les livres' celebrated in Toronto". ''The Globe and Mail'', October 8, 1993. Launched in 1993 as the firs ...

's Grand Prix for Franco-Ontarian literature in 1995. He has also been a Trillium Book Award nominee on three other occasions, receiving nods in 2005 for ''Les Roses et le verglas'', in 2012 for ''L'Enfant Cément'' and in 2018 for ''Le poids du temps'', and a Salon du livre nominee in 2007 for ''Le chuchotement des étoiles''. Henrie died on October 1, 2024, at the age of 87.

Works

Novels

* 1995 – ''Le Balcon dans le ciel'' (

Prise de parole Prise de parole ("Speaking Out") is a Canadian book publishing company. Located in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, the company publishes French language literature, primarily but not exclusively by Franco-Ontarian authors. History The company wa ...

) * 2001 – ''Une ville lointaine'' (L'instant même) * 2007 – ''Le Chuchotement des étoiles'' (Prise de parole) * 2011 – ''L'enfant Cement'' (Prise de parole) * 2020 – ''Odette'' (

University of Ottawa Press The University of Ottawa Press () is a bilingual university press located in Ottawa, Ontario. It publishes approximately 25-30 books annually in both English and French. The UOP is the only fully bilingual university publishing house in Canad ...

)

Short story collections

* 1988 – ''La Chambre à mourir'' (L'Instant même) * 1992 – ''Le Pont sur le temps'' (Prise de parole) * 1996 – ''La Savoyane'' (Prise de parole) * 1998 – ''Fleurs d'hiver'' (Prise de parole) * 2003 – ''Mémoire vive'' (L'Instant même) * 2004 – ''Les Roses et le verglas'' (Prise de parole) * 2008 – ''Esprit de sel'' (Prise de parole) * 2009 – ''Le Jour qui tombe'' (L'Interligne) * 2012 – ''Petites pierres blanches'' (Éditions David) * 2016 – ''Ne pleure pas Jeannette'' (Chardon bleu) * 2019 – ''La Maison aux lilas'' (University of Ottawa Press)

Essays

* 1989 – ''La Vie secrète des grands bureaucrates'' (Asticou) * 1990 – ''The Mandarin Syndrome'' (University of Ottawa Press) * 1992 – ''Le Petit monde des grands bureaucrates'' (Montagne) * 2013 – ''Aveux et confidences'' (Prise de parole) * 2017 – ''Le Poids du temps'' (University of Ottawa Press) * 2018 – ''Donc je suis'' (University of Ottawa Press) * 2022 – ''La Tête haute'' (University of Ottawa Press)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henrie, Maurice 1936 births 2024 deaths 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian short story writers 20th-century Canadian non-fiction writers 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian short story writers 21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers 21st-century Canadian male writers Canadian male novelists Canadian male short story writers Canadian male non-fiction writers Canadian novelists in French Canadian short story writers in French Canadian non-fiction writers in French Franco-Ontarian people People from Clarence-Rockland Novelists from Ottawa