Réjean Ducharme (August 12, 1941 – August 21, 2017) was a Québécois

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...

and playwright who resided in

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 ...

. He was known for his reclusive personality and did not appear at any public functions since his first successful book was published in 1966. A common theme of his early work was the rejection of the adult world by children. ' (''Swallowed''), Ducharme's first novel, was short-listed for the 1966

Prix Goncourt The Prix Goncourt (french: Le prix Goncourt, , ''The Goncourt Prize'') is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year". The prize carries a symbolic reward o ...

, even though the author was only 24 years old and unknown. That same year, the book won the 1966 Governor General's Award for Poetry or Drama (Poésie et théâtre). ''L'Avalée des avalés'' later won the 2005 French version of ''

Canada Reads ''Canada Reads'' is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC. The program has aired in two distinct editions, the English-language ''Canada Reads'' on CBC Radio One, and the Frenc ...

'', where it was defended by

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

Sophie Cadieux. In the 1992 movie ''

Léolo ''Léolo'' is a 1992 Canadian coming of age film, coming of age-fantasy film by director Jean-Claude Lauzon. The film tells the story of a young boy named Léo "Léolo" Lauzon, played by Maxime Collin, who engages in an active Fantasy (psychology), ...

'', the main character spends much of his time reading and thinking about ''L'Avalée des avalés''. In 2017, Ducharme died of natural causes at age 76 in Montreal. In summer 2021, the city's Sud-Ouest borough renamed its library the Bibliothèque Réjean-Ducharme in his honour.

Bibliography

*'' L'Avalée des avalés'' - 1966 (winner of the 1966 Governor General's Awards) **translated into English as ''The Swallower Swallowed'' by Barbara Bray **translated into English as
Swallowed
' by Madeleine Stratford (Montreal: Véhicule Press, 2020). *' - 1967 **translated into English as ''Miss Take'' by Will Browning *' - 1968 *''La fille de Christophe Colomb'' - 1969 **translated into English as ''The Daughter of Christopher Columbus'' by Will Browning *' - 1973 winner of the 1973 Governor General's Award for Fiction) **translated in English as "Wild to Mild" by Robert Guy Scully *' - 1976 *'' Good Riddance (Les Bons débarras)'' - 1980 (film screenplay) *'' Happy Memories (Les Beaux souvenirs)'' - 1982 (film screenplay) *''Ha ha!...'' - 1982 (winner of the 1982 Governor General's Award for Drama) *''Dévadé'' - 1990 *''Va savoir'' - 1994 (nominated for a

Governor General's Award The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual List of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. Th ...

**translated into English as ''Go Figure'' by Will Browning *''Gros mots'' - 1999

References

External links

Réjean Ducharme's
entry i
The Canadian Encyclopedia
*
Fonds Réjean Ducharme (R11725)
at '' Library and Archives Canada'' *
Collection Rosette Rohana (lettres de Réjean Ducharme), (R12366)
at Library and Archives Canada. The collection consists of 14 letters by Réjean Ducharme sent to Rosette Rohana and to one of her friend. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ducharme, Rejean Canadian male novelists 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Writers from Quebec Governor General's Award-winning fiction writers 1941 births 2017 deaths French Quebecers Best Screenplay Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Sculptors from Quebec Prix Athanase-David winners Governor General's Award-winning dramatists Canadian novelists in French Canadian dramatists and playwrights in French 20th-century Canadian sculptors Canadian male screenwriters Canadian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers Canadian screenwriters in French

Bibliography

See also

References

External links