Françoise Bujold (March 6, 1933 – January 18, 1981) was a

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

writer and artist. She is considered by some to be the first major poet of the Gaspé region. She was born in Bonaventure and was educated there and in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

. Bujold was one of the first female students admitted to the Institut des arts graphiques de Montréal. She studied graphic arts with

Albert Dumouchel Albert Dumouchel (April 15, 1916 – January 11, 1971) was a Canadian printmaker, painter and teacher. A multi-talented individual, Dumouchel also was a photographer and gifted musician. His work as an artist was largely abstract.A Dictionary of ...

. In 1959, she began teaching visual arts at the Centre d'art de Percé. She also taught

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the northe ...

children on the Maria reserve. She earned a

Bachelor of Education A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. In some countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, additional tasks like field work and research are required in order for ...

from the École des beaux-arts de Montréal. Bujold published her first poems at the age of 22. In 1959, she published ''L'île endormie'', a story which included prints produced by her young students. Around 1960, she created her own publishing company, Les Éditions Sentinelle. During the 1960s, she continued to write and exhibited her prints. In 1964, with Jacques Godbout, she directed the short documentary ''Le monde va nous prendre pour des sauvages'' for the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

about young Mi'kmaqs in the

Chaleur Bay frame, Satellite image of Chaleur Bay (NASA). Chaleur Bay is the large bay in the centre of the image; the Gaspé Peninsula is to the north and the Gulf of St. Lawrence is seen to the east.">Gulf_of_St._Lawrence.html" ;"title="Gaspé Peninsula ...

region. Between 1959 and 1961, eight radio plays by Bujold were presented on Radio Canada. In 1961, with her husband, she opened a boite à chansons, which also included an art gallery. In 1974, the Guilde Graphique published her poem ''Ah ouiche t'en plain''. She died of cancer at the age of 47. The Prix Françoise-Bujold was a literary prize awarded annually in Quebec from 1991 to 2000. In 2010, David Lonergan published ''À toi qui n'es pas né au bord de l'eau'' which included unpublished prints and radio plays by Bujold, as well as a biography. The public library at Bonaventure was renamed the Bibliothèque Françoise-Bujold in her honour.

References

1933 births 1981 deaths 20th-century Canadian poets Canadian women poets Canadian poets in French Writers from Quebec 20th-century Canadian women writers École des beaux-arts de Montréal alumni {{Canada-poet-stub