Hélène Brodeur (July 13, 1923 – August 15, 2010) was a

Franco-Ontarian Franco-Ontarians (french: Franco-Ontariens or if female, sometimes known as ''Ontarois'' and ''Ontaroises'') are Francophone Canadians that reside in the province of Ontario. Most are French Canadians from Ontario. In 2016, the Government of On ...

educator, journalist and writer. The daughter of Joseph Brodeur and Marie-Ange Turcotte, she was born in Saint-Léon-de-Val-Racine in

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 ...

Eastern Townships The Eastern Townships (french: Cantons de l'Est) is an historical administrative region in southeastern Quebec, Canada. It lies between the St. Lawrence Lowlands and the American border, and extends from Granby in the southwest, to Drummondv ...

and grew up in Val Gagné near Timmins,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. She received her teaching certificate from the University of Ottawa and taught in a one-room school until 1946, when she returned to university to complete a BA. Brodeur settled in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, where she taught high school, worked as a freelance journalist for various newspapers and magazines and was an information officer for the federal Treasury Board. In 1947, she married Robert Nantais. She was known for the trilogies ''Les chroniques du Nouvel-Ontario'' and ''The Saga of Northern Ontario'', as well as a number of historical novels. Her work is studied in high schools, colleges and universities in Ontario. In 1982, she received the Prix Champlain from the Conseil de la vie française en Amérique for ''La Quête d'Alexandre''. In 1984, she received the Prix du Nouvel-Ontario for ''Entre l'aube et le jour''. Brodeur died at Montfort Hospital in Ottawa at the age of 87.

References

1923 births 2010 deaths Canadian historical novelists Canadian women journalists Canadian women novelists 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian women writers Women historical novelists Franco-Ontarian people Canadian novelists in French University of Ottawa alumni Canadian women non-fiction writers {{Canada-novelist-stub