Alice Parizeau, OC (née Alicja Poznańska; 25 July 1930 – 30 September 1990) was a Polish-

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 ...

writer, essayist, journalist and criminologist.

Early life

Her parents were Stanislaw Poznański (1894 - 1943) and Rebeka (Bronislawa Breina) Kestenberg (1892-1943) Polish Jews murdered in the Holocaust, both in Otwock, Poland according to the testimony of Kestenberg's brother, Yehuda Adam Kestenberg, recorded in Yad Vashem. Stanislaw Poznański was the son of Karol Poznański and grandson of

Izrael Poznański Izrael Kalman Poznański (25 August 1833–28 April 1900) was a Polish-Jewish businessman, textile magnate and philanthropist in Łódź, Poland (then part of the Russian Empire), and the husband of Eleonora Hertz Poznańska. The mausoleum of ...

, a famous Polish-Jewish businessman, textile magnate and philanthropist (

Philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

) in Łódź. Born in

Łuniniec Luninets ( be, Лунінец, russian: Лунине́ц, pl, Łuniniec, lt, Luninecas, yi, לונינייץ, Luninitz BGN/PCGN romanization: ''Luninyets'') is a town and administrative centre for the Luninets district in Brest Region, Belarus. ...

, Poland, as a young girl Poznańska was associated with the Polish Home Army during the 1944

Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occurred in the summer of 1944, and it was led ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, which led to her internment in the

Bergen-Belsen Bergen-Belsen , or Belsen, was a Nazi concentration camp in what is today Lower Saxony in northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp, in 1943, parts of it became a concentrati ...

prisoner of war camp and her receipt of a war medal following the war. Following the war Poznańska went to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

to study at the Sorbonne, earning degrees in literature, law and political science. In 1955 she visited a friend from the Sorbonne in Quebec, where she accepted a short contract which would turn into a lifelong stay. She married economist and politician

Jacques Parizeau Jacques Parizeau (; August 9, 1930June 1, 2015) was a Canadian politician and Québécois economist who was a noted Quebec sovereigntist and the 26th premier of Quebec from September 26, 1994, to January 29, 1996. Early life and career Pariz ...

the following year. Though of Jewish background, and interned in Bergen Belsen during the Holocaust, Alice Poznanska's funeral was held at a Catholic church.Myths, Issues, Facts

"Jacque Parizeau's "Jewish" Offspring"

Career

As a Quebecer, Parizeau was strongly associated with Montreal's intellectual and sovereigntist scenes, respectively. While best known as a novelist and journalist — she wrote for '' Cité libre'', '' La Presse'', ''

Châtelaine ''Châtelaine'' is a French-language magazine of women's lifestyles, published in Quebec by St. Joseph Communications. History and profile The magazine was first published in 1960 by Maclean-Hunter Publishing. It covers issues and interests o ...

'', '' Le Devoir'', '' La Patrie'' and ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian pers ...

'' — Parizeau held a number of other positions. These included civil servant with the City of

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

, researcher for

Société Radio-Canada The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

and, most notably, criminology researcher, lecturer and secretary-general of the Centre international de criminologie comparée at the

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte- ...

, where she served for many years as the ''de facto'' assistant director to Denis Szabo, founder of modern criminology in Quebec. Parizeau's writing was known for its outstanding storytelling and sensitive treatment of themes relating both to the Quebec people, which she portrayed in romantic terms congruent with the sovereignty movement's ideals, and life in and exile from Poland. She won the ''Prix européen de l'Association des écrivains de langue française'' in 1982 for her novel ''Les lilas fleurissent à Varsovie'' (translated as ''The Lilacs are Blooming in Warsaw''). In 1987, she was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

. Many members of the

Quebec sovereignty movement The Quebec sovereignty movement (french: Mouvement souverainiste du Québec) is a political movement whose objective is to achieve the sovereignty of Quebec, a province of Canada since 1867, including in all matters related to any provision o ...

, including the press, criticised her for accepting an honour from the

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm ...

Memorials

In 1990, Parizeau died of cancer in Outremont, Quebec, leaving her husband, Jacques, and two children, Isabelle, a lawyer, and Bernard, a doctor. The École Alice Parizeau in Montreal and the Bibliothèque Alice-Parizeau in Saint-Esprit, Quebec were named in her honour.

Works

* ''Les solitudes humaines'' (1962) * ''Voyage en Pologne'' (1963) * ''Fuir'' (1963) * ''Survivre'' (1964) * ''Une Québécoise en Europe rouge'' (1965) * ''Rue Sherbrooke Ouest'' (1967) * ''Les lilas fleurissent à Varsovie'' (1981) * ''Côte-des-Neiges'' (1983) * ''Blizzard sur Québec'' (1987)

References

Sources

*
PARIZEAU, ALICE
, in ''Dictionnaire des auteurs de langue française en Amérique du Nord'', 1989 * http://www.cjnews.com/perspectives/opinions/jacques-parizeaus-legacy-divides-us * http://www.iforum.umontreal.ca/Forum/ArchivesForum/2001-2002/020318/article910.htm

External links

* Jean-Marie Tremblay,

, in ''Les Classiques des sciences sociales'' (several works online) {{DEFAULTSORT:Parizeau, Alice 1930 births 1990 deaths 20th-century Canadian novelists Canadian women novelists Officers of the Order of Canada Polish emigrants to Canada Spouses of Canadian politicians University of Paris alumni Writers from Quebec 20th-century Canadian women writers Canadian novelists in French Deaths from cancer in Quebec Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery