Michel Pleau (born May 25, 1964)Pleau, Michel
L'infocentre litteraire des écrivains québécois. is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

poet, who was appointed

Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate The Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate (french: Poète officiel du Parlement du Canada) is the national poet laureate of Canada. The current poet laureate is Louise Bernice Halfe. The position is an office of the Library of Parliament. Role A ...

in January 2014."Canada names Michel Pleau as new parliamentary poet laureate"
''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', January 7, 2014. Originally from the Saint-Sauveur district of

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

, he was educated at

Université Laval Université Laval is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university was founded by royal charter issued by Queen Victoria in 1852, with roots in the founding of the Séminaire de Québec in 1663 by François de Montmo ...

and the

Université du Québec à Montréal The Université du Québec à Montréal (English: University of Quebec in Montreal), also known as UQAM, is a French-language public university based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest constituent element of the Université du Québe ...

. The author of numerous books of poetry and literary criticism, he won the

Governor General's Award for French-language poetry This is a list of recipients of the Governor General's Award for French-language poetry. The award was created in 1981 when the Governor General's Award for French language poetry or drama was divided. Winners and nominees 1980s 1990s 2000s ...

at the

2008 Governor General's Awards The 2008 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit: Finalists in 14 categories (73 books) were announced October 21, winners announced November 18. The prize for writers and illustrators was $25,000 and "a specially bound copy of the winning bo ...

for his collection ''La lenteur du monde''. An English translation, ''Eternity Taking Its Time'', was published by Bookland Press in 2012. He won Quebec's Prix Alphonse-Piché, Prix Octave-Crémazie and Prix Félix-Antoine-Savard for earlier collections. In 1997, the

Commission de toponymie du Québec The Commission de toponymie du Québec (English: ''Toponymy Commission of Québec'') is the Government of Québec's public body responsible for cataloging, preserving, making official and publicize Québec's place names and their origins according ...

named an unnamed island in the province's

Caniapiscau Reservoir The Caniapiscau Reservoir () is a reservoir on the upper Caniapiscau River in the Côte-Nord administrative region of the Canadian province of Quebec. It is the largest body of water in Quebec and the second largest reservoir in Canada. The C ...

for his collection ''La traversée de la nuit'', as part of a program honouring writers to mark the 20th anniversary of the

Charter of the French Language The ''Charter of the French Language'' (french: link=no, La charte de la langue française), also known in English as Bill 101, Law 101 (''french: link=no, Loi 101''), or Quebec French Preference Law, is a law in the province of Quebec in Canada ...

. His most recent collection, ''Ciel de la basse-ville'', was published in 2014."Michel Pleau, poète officiel du Parlement: une chance à la puissance 10"
'' La Presse'', January 12, 2014.

Works

*''Apprendre à partir'' (1985) *''Les Doux silences'' (1986) *''Le corps tombe plus tard'' (1992, ) **Spanish translation ''El cuerpo cae más tarde'' (2001, ) *''La traversée de la nuit'' (1994, ) *''Plus loin que les cendres'' (1996, ) *''Qui s'enfonce dans la nuit'' (1998) *''Regards sur le poème'' (1998, ) *''L'aveu tout simple d'un visage'' (1999, ) *''Il arrive que le ciel te console'' (2000, ) *''Soleil rouge'' (2004, ) *''Le feu de l'autre rive'' (2005, ) *''Arbres lumière'' (2005, ) *''La lenteur du monde'' (2007, ) **English translation ''Eternity Taking Its Time'' (2012, ) *''Le petit livre de l'été'' (2012, ) *''Le ciel de la basse-ville'' (2014, )

References

External links

Michel Pleau
1964 births 20th-century Canadian poets Canadian male poets 21st-century Canadian poets Canadian literary critics Canadian poets in French Canadian Parliamentary Poets Laureate Governor General's Award-winning poets Living people Université du Québec à Montréal alumni Université Laval alumni Writers from Quebec City 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers Canadian male non-fiction writers {{Canada-poet-stub