Hélène Monette (June 11, 1960 – June 25, 2015) was a

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

writer of poetry. The youngest daughter of André Monette and Rita Roquebrune, she was born in Saint-Philippe-de-Laprairie and was educated at the

Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe is a CEGEP (College of General and Vocational Education) located at 3000 Boullé Street, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada. More than 4,500 students attend the CEGEP to study in one of five pre-university general studies pr ...

, at the

Université du Québec à Montréal The (UQAM; ), is a French language, French-language public university, public research university based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest constituent element of the system. UQAM was founded on April 9, 1969, by the government o ...

and

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

. Monette was co-founder of the magazine ''Ciel variable'', later ''CV Photo''. She has performed her poems on stage accompanied by musicians and appeared in festivals in Quebec, France, Mexico and Portugal. She has also taken part in recorded poetry such as ''La vache enragée'' directed by Mitsiko Miller and ''Wired on words-Millenium Cabaret'' directed by

Ian Ferrier Ian Ferrier (1954 – 3 November 2023) was a Canadian poet, musician, and cultural arts organizer. As co-founder of the Wired on Words record label, longtime organizer of The Words and Music Show, author of four chapbooks, and member of the voice ...

. She has read poetry on Radio Canada and performed in the films ''Seul dans mon putain d'univers'' and ''Les Mots dits''. Her poems have appeared in the literary magazines ''Moebius'', ''Arcade'' and ''Le Sabord''. Her poetry collection ''Lettres insolites'' (1991) was nominated for the

Prix Émile-Nelligan The Prix Émile-Nelligan is a literary award given annually by the Fondation Émile-Nelligan to a North American French language poet under the age of 35. It was named in honour of the Quebec poet Émile Nelligan and was first awarded in 1979, the ...

Selected works

Source: * ''Montréal brûle-t-elle?'', poetry (1987) * ''Crimes et Chatouillements'', collected stories (1992) * ''Le goudron et les plumes'', novel (1993), received the Grand Prix du livre de Montréal * ''Kyrie eleison'', poetry (1994) * ''Plaisirs et paysages kitsch'', stories and poems (1997), nominated for a Governor General's Literary Award * ''Le blanc des yeux'', poetry (1999) * ''Le jardin de la nuit'', stories and poems (2001) * ''Thérèse pour joie et orchestre'' (2009), received 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 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monette, Helene 1960 births 2015 deaths Canadian poets in French Canadian novelists in French Governor General's Award–winning poets Canadian women poets Canadian women novelists 20th-century Canadian poets 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian poets 21st-century Canadian women writers People from Greater Montreal Poets from Quebec Université du Québec à Montréal alumni Concordia University alumni 20th-century Canadian novelists Novelists from Quebec