Description
2020 French edition published by Bibliothèque québécoise (Montreal), with a preface by Aurélien Boivin. The cover features a photograph of actress Sara Montpetit, who portrays Maria Chapdelaine in the eponymous film directed by Sébastien Pilote, released in 2021.
Translated into more than thirty languages, adapted into film, radio, and comic books, it is estimated that over 20 million copies of Maria Chapdelaine, a tale of French Canada, have been sold worldwide since its first novel edition in 1916. Beyond its commercial success, what truly sets it apart is the authenticity of its characters, as well as the remarkable ability of French author Louis Hémon to capture the essence of early 20th-century Quebec society, then grappling with significant identity conflicts.
Author Biography
Louis Hémon, born on October 12, 1880, in Brest, France, was a Breton writer known for his novel Maria Chapdelaine, a tale of French Canada. Passionate about sports and writing, he lived in England for several years before traveling to Canada in 1911. After a six-month stay in Péribonka, north of Lac Saint-Jean / Pekuakami, where he found inspiration for his final novel, he spent a few months in Montreal before heading west. On July 8, 1913, he passed away in Chapleau, Ontario, accidentally struck by a train.