''Maria Chapdelaine'' is a romance novel written in 1913 by the Breton writer

Louis Hémon Louis Hémon (12 October 1880 – 8 July 1913), was a French writer best known for his novel ''Maria Chapdelaine''. Biography He was born in Brest, France. In Paris, where he resided with his family, he was enrolled in the Montaigne and Loui ...

, who was then residing 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 ...

.Guy Laflèche.
Polémiques
'. Editions du Singulier; 1992. . p. 126 – 128. Aimed at young French and Quebecois people, the book had been included in school curricula, translated, and has been extensively analyzed and adapted.

Plot

After the man she loves dies suddenly, Maria must choose which of two suitors to marry. One offers a change to life in the big city, but Maria decides to stay in the countryside.David Stouck.
Major Canadian Authors: A Critical Introduction to Canadian Literature in English
'. U of Nebraska Press; 1 January 1988. . p. 143–.

Publication

Hémon, a journalist, came to rural Quebec to gather ideas for a novel. He supported himself by working on a farm. After hearing various stories from area residents, he wrote a romantic story, basing the character of the heroine on a young woman he had met. In 1913, he submitted the manuscript for publication; he then left Quebec to travel to western Canada, but was hit by a train and died before learning of his book's success. His book was illustrated by a famous French Canadian painter Clarence Gagnon. In 1921, the book was translated into English by Andrew McPhail.Ian Robertson.
Sir Andrew Macphail: The Life and Legacy of a Canadian Man of Letters
'. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP; 2008. . p. 234. A translation by W. H. Blake was published the same year.

Adaptations

The novel has had four film adaptations, two French and two Québécois: in 1934, by

Julien Duvivier Julien Duvivier (; 8 October 1896 – 29 October 1967) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930–1960. Amongst his most original films, chiefly notable are ''La Bandera (film), La Bandera'', ...

, with

Madeleine Renaud Lucie Madeleine Renaud (; 21 February 1900 – 23 September 1994) was a French actress best remembered for her work in the theatre. She did though appear in several films directed by Jean Grémillon including ''Remorques'' (''Stormy Waters'' ...

(as Maria Chapdelaine), and

Jean Gabin Jean Gabin (; 17 May 190415 November 1976) was a French actor and singer. Considered a key figure in French cinema, he starred in several classic films including ''Pépé le Moko'' (1937), ''La grande illusion'' (1937), ''Le Quai des brumes'' ( ...

(as François Paradis), partly filmed in Péribonka; in 1950 by

Marc Allégret Marc Allégret (22 December 1900 – 3 November 1973) was a French screenwriter, photographer and film director. Biography Born in Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland, he was the elder brother of Yves Allégret. Marc was educated to be a lawyer in ...

in a free interpretation of the work called ''

The Naked Heart ''The Naked Heart'' (French title: ''Maria Chapdelaine'') is a 1950 British-French historical drama film directed by Marc Allégret, based on the novel ''Maria Chapdelaine'' by Louis Hémon. The film stars Michèle Morgan, Kieron Moore and Fran� ...

''; in 1984 by

Gilles Carle Gilles Carle, (July 31, 1928As fully funny, Carle had pleasure to always give himself one year less, and to let people think wrongly that he was born in 1929, "The Year of the Big World Crash": see on the Quebec French newspapers that many writer ...

with

Carole Laure Carole Laure O.C. (born August 5, 1948) is an actress and singer from Quebec, Canada. Career Throughout most of her career, Carole Laure primarily collaborated with Anglophone singer, songwriter, producer, and director Lewis Furey, whom she m ...

; and in 2021 by

Sébastien Pilote Sébastien Pilote (born 1973 in Saint-Ambroise, Quebec)Paul Gury Paul Gury was the stage name of Loïc (Louis-Marie) Le Gouriadec (May 11, 1888 - November 13, 1974), a French-Canadian film and theatre actor, director and writer. He was most noted as the director of three significant films in the early Cinema of ...

. A 40-page children's version, featuring art by Rajka Kupesic, was published in 2004 by

Tundra Books In physical geography, tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term ''tundra'' comes through Russian (') from the Kildin Sámi word (') meaning "uplands", "treeless moun ...

,Philippa Sheppard
"Maria Chapdelaine, by Louis Hémon, Rajka Kupesic, illus."
''

Quill & Quire ''Quill & Quire'' is a Canadian magazine about the book and publishing industry. The magazine was launched in 1935 and has an average circulation of 5,000 copies per issue, with a publisher-claimed readership of 25,000. ''Quill & Quire'' reviews ...

'', September 2004. and was nominated for the

Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration The Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian illustrator for a children's book written in English. It is one of four children's book awards among the Go ...

at the 2005 Governor General's Awards. Authors have even published continuations of the novel. The novel has been adapted as an opera in four acts by composer Jim Leonard. It premiered in 2019 in Vernon, BC.

References

External links

* * *
Text of ''Maria Chapdelaine'' (in French)
Project Gutenberg

(in French) Speaker Icon

''Maria Chapdelaine'' Summary
* {{librivox book , title=Maria Chapdelaine , author=Louis HÉMON 1913 Canadian novels Canadian French-language novels Canadian historical novels Novels set in Quebec Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean in fiction