A rural novel with international success
Maria Chapdelaine, a tale of French Canada, was first published in 1914 as a serial in the Parisian daily newspaper *Le Temps*. However, it was not until the 1920s that it achieved international success, thanks to the promotional efforts of the French publisher Bernard Grasset.
Both praised, controversial, and criticized, the novel Maria Chapdelaine certainly did not go unnoticed. The first Francophone bestseller, it has been published in over 150 different editions, translated into more than 30 languages, and inspired four film adaptations, theatrical plays, an opera, the name of a cheese, and much more.
Today, Louis Hémon’s novel is regarded as a significant literary phenomenon that spread from one continent to another, leaving its mark on the history of Quebec literature.
Louis Hémon in Péribonka
In 1912, the young writer Louis Hémon settled in Péribonka, where he worked as a farm laborer for Samuel Bédard.
During his six-month stay, he carefully observed the life of the settlers and took extensive notes. These observations would form the basis of his novel Maria Chapdelaine , which he began writing in St-Gédéon the following January and later completed in Montreal starting in April.
Hémon wrote the manuscript inspired by the people and landscapes around him. He depicted the harsh life of the pioneers, their traditions, their attachment to the land, and the many divisions within French-Canadian society at the time.
Although Hémon would never live to see his work published, Maria Chapdelaine became the first French-language bestseller and laid an important cornerstone in the development of Quebec literature.
The first editions
The novel Maria Chapdelaine , a tale of French Canada, was first published as a serial in the French newspaper Le Temps in 1914. On the eve of the First World War, Louis Hémon’s final work might easily have gone unnoticed without the keen eye of Louvigny de Montigny, a renowned man of letters and “father” of Canadian copyright law.
“It is, above all, to provide young writers in my country with a model of Canadian literature that I desired the publication of this work here,” he wrote, since “Louis Hémon’s novel, unless I am mistaken, seems to me the most complete within its setting, the truest, the purest, the simplest, and […] the most literary that French Canada has yet inspired.”
Thanks to Montigny’s initiative, the story was published for the first time in book form by the J.-A. LeFebvre publishing house in Montreal in 1916. This edition, brilliantly illustrated with charcoal plates by the famous Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté, marked the beginning of a great literary adventure.
Bernard Grasset takes hold of Maria
While LeFebvre proclaimed himself the holder of the copyright for Maria Chapdelaine , it was the French publisher Bernard Grasset who, in a remarkable feat, succeeded in acquiring the exclusive rights to the work, thereby eliminating any international competition regarding its publication.
With the help of Maria Chapdelaine , which was intended to inaugurate his brand-new collection, the Cahiers verts , launched in 1921, Bernard Grasset revolutionized the world of publishing after the First World War. He increased print runs from 2,000 to over 10,000 copies, invented literary publicity and press releases, and modernized book typography.
These innovations not only transformed the promotion and editorial practices of the book industry in France, but they also turned Maria Chapdelaine into an international literary phenomenon.
The recipe for success
Determined to make Louis Hémon’s novel THE LITERARY EVENT that everyone was talking about, the French publisher spared no effort in bringing the young author’s story to the widest possible audience.
While capitalizing on the exoticism of the landscapes and the traditional values of French Canada conveyed through the narrative, Grasset launched an advertising campaign of unprecedented scale and nature, the likes of which had never been seen before on French soil.
For the publisher, every advertising resource was fair game: creation of a unique visual identity for the *Cahiers Verts* collection, exclusive publication rights for some of France’s leading newspapers, organizing contests for young readers, publicly displaying sales progress, offering discounts to booksellers, sending free copies to parishes, creating his own literary juries, and more.
After enticing the most influential personalities and journalists from the literary world with a limited and numbered edition of the *Cahiers Verts*, he seems to have capitalized on their favorable reviews to bring new audiences to literature—audiences that few publishers before him had thought to engage.
Grasset also pulled off a bold masterstroke by securing not only the support of French Catholic circles but also extracting a public endorsement of Louis Hémon’s novel from the Académie française. Unprecedented for a posthumous work!
Indeed, with this skillfully orchestrated public staging, Grasset ensured the long-term sales success of the book while establishing himself as the most dynamic and prestigious publisher of his time.
Maria Chapdelaine : Beyond the Novel
Finally authorized by Grasset, the first cinematic adaptation of *Maria Chapdelaine* was directed by Julien Duvivier in 1934. This film, largely shot in Péribonka, helped bring Louis Hémon’s work to a wider audience. Actress Madeleine Renaud played the titular role, while Jean Gabin portrayed François Paradis, adding a visual dimension to the novel’s iconic characters.
Four years later, in 1938, the *Musée Maria-Chapdelaine* (now the *Musée Louis-Hémon*) was inaugurated in Péribonka, Quebec. Located in the Lac-Saint-Jean region where the novel’s story unfolds, this museum was created to preserve and highlight the cultural heritage associated with Louis Hémon’s work. It offers visitors an immersive experience into the world of the novel and rural Quebec life in the early 20th century.
The cinematic adaptation and the opening of the museum played a significant role in perpetuating the legacy of *Maria Chapdelaine*, solidifying its place in Québécois and Francophone culture.
Since Julien Duvivier’s 1934 film, Maria Chapdelaine has seen three other cinematic adaptations. In 1950, Marc Allégret directed a new version, followed in 1983 by Gilles Carle’s adaptation, with Carole Laure in the titular role.
More recently, in 2021, Sébastien Pilote released a new adaptation, bringing the authenticity of the work back to the attention of contemporary audiences. Not to mention the countless spin-off products (butter, cheese, comic books, literary sequels, etc.), the novel has also inspired radio adaptations, including the radio drama created by Yves Thériault and Jacques Gauthier, broadcast on Radio-Canada starting in 1953, as well as several theatrical plays, with the first dating back to 1919.
These multiple adaptations highlight the enduring cultural significance of Louis Hémon’s work, which continues to captivate creators and audiences across generations.
![Les Noces De MC (XXXX) Photocopie Des Partitions [XXXX.XXX] (2de2)](https://museelh.ca/app/uploads/2024/07/Les-noces-de-MC-XXXX-Photocopie-des-partitions-XXXX.XXX-2de2-640x512.jpg "Sheet music for the song Les noces de Maria Chapdelaine, released in 1951.")
