Michèle Lalonde (July 28, 1937 – July 22, 2021) was a Canadian dramatist, essayist, playwright and poet for print and radio. She began her career as a writer and publisher while studying for a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree at the

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (; UdeM; ) 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-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce on M ...

. Throughout her career, Lalonde worked at the editorial boards of the magazine ''Situations'', the journal '' Liberte'' and ''Maintenant''. She authored historical plays and collections of poems and won the 1980 Prix Duvernay from the

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society (, ) is an institution in the Canadian province of Quebec dedicated to the protection of Quebec francophone interests and to the promotion of Quebec sovereignism. It is known as the oldest patriotic association in ...

. Lalonde was professor of the history of civilizations at the

National Theatre School of Canada The National Theatre School of Canada (NTS, ) is a private institution of professional theatre studies in Montreal, Quebec. Established in 1960, the NTS receives its principal funding from grants awarded by the Government of Canada and cultural ...

, served as president of both the Fédération internationale des écrivains de langue française and the Quebec Writers' Union, and was a member of the Order of Francophones of America. Her works from 1957 to 1977 are stored in the Montreal collection of the

Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec The (; ; abbr. BAnQ) is a Quebec government agency which manages the province's legal deposit system, national archives, and national library. Located at the Grande Bibliothèque in Montreal, the BAnQ was created by the merging of the Biblioth ...

Early life and education

On July 28, 1937, Lalonde was born in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Canada, to Hector Lalonde and Clairette Senecal. She graduated from the

with a

degree in philosophy in 1959. In 1960, Lalonde conducted research at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, then at the

University of Baltimore The University of Baltimore (UBalt, UB) is a public university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is part of the University System of Maryland. UBalt consists of four colleges in applied arts and sciences, Robert G. Merrick School of Bu ...

from 1963 to 1964 and at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

between 1963 and 1964. She also worked on an uncompleted doctorate at the Université de Montréal in 1965.

Career

Lalonde began her career as a writer and publisher while studying at university. In March 1957, she authored the historical play ''Ankrania ou celui qui crie'' that was produced at Montreal's Le Proscenium at the Festival d'Art Dramatique de l'Ouest du Quebec. Also that same year, Lalonde helped to organize annual gatherings of Canadian writers referred to as "recontres" now known as Rencontre Quebecoise Internationale des Ecrivains. Her first book of poetry, ''Songe de la fiancée détruite'' published in 1958, focuses on solitude and people's inability to communicate. The following year, Lalonde authored another collection of poetry, ''Geôles.'' In the same year, she joined the editorial board of the magazine ''Situations'' as cultural and literary reviewer. From 1963 to 1964, Lalonde served as a member of the board of the journal '' Liberte'', writing articles and news stories. At the journal, she got more immersed in the Canadian literary scene composed of authors and intellectuals. In 1967, Lalonde authored the poem collection ''Terre des hommes. Poeme pour deux recitants''. The poem was performed at

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 28 to October 29, 1967. It was a category one world's fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most s ...

's inauguration ceremonies with André Prévost providing backup music. She wrote the poem, ''

Speak White "Speak White" is a French-language poem written by Canadian poet Michèle Lalonde in 1968, and condemns the linguistic, cultural, and economic exploitation and oppression of French-speaking Canadians, especially the Québécois, by the English ...

'', hurriedly for the actress

Michelle Rossignol Michelle Rossignol, (4 February 1940 – 18 May 2020) was a Canadian film actress. She appeared in fifteen films between 1956 and 2010. She was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1991 and a Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 2 ...

to read in May 1968 at the height of the 1960s

Quiet Revolution The Quiet Revolution () was a period of socio-political and socio-cultural transformation in French Canada, particularly in Quebec, following the 1960 Quebec general election. This period was marked by the secularization of the government, the ...

in Quebec, became her most famous work and denounces "the inferior cultural, social and economic conditions of

French Canadians French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the provi ...

, while calling for the solidarity of oppressed peoples against all forms of colonialism and imperialism." Lalonde recited ''Speak White'' in essays, lectures, manifestos and statements concerning politics, intellectual and authors' rules, and Quebec women's status. In 1973 and 1974, she was part of the editorial team of ''Maintenant'', writing a series of essays about Quebec nationalism and the debate on linguistics. She experimented with the 1977 historical play known as ''Dernier recours de Baptiste à Catherine'' that was first produced at Montreal's Theatre d'Aujourd'hui. Lalonde compiled her best works between 1965 and 1975 into the collection ''Défense et illustration de la langue québécoise'' and ''Portee disparue'' in 1979. The following year, she won the Prix Duvernay from the

for her work, and worked on the film concerning ''La Nuit de poesie'', where she read ''Speak White''. In 1981, she co-wrote ''Cause commune: manifeste pour une internationale des petites cultures'' with Denis Moniere and ''Petit testament: Outremont'' on her own. Lalonde was made president of the International Federation of French-language writers three years later. In 1989, she wrote with Jean Dozois and Jean Poupart ''Construction sociale de la dangerosite: pratique criminologique et systeme penal'' for the Conseil quebecois de la recherche sociale of the

Government of Quebec The Government of Quebec (, ) is the body responsible for the administration of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. The term is typically used to refer to the executive of the day (i.e. Minister of the Crown, mini ...

''.'' Lalonde served as professor of the history of civilizations at the

from 1976 to 1980. Between 1982 and 1986, she served as the Fédération internationale des écrivains de langue française's president. Lalonde was president of the Quebec Writers' Union from November 1984 to November 1986. She received the Prix du poète from the Francophone Poetry Market in 2004. Lalonde has been a member of the Order of Francophones of America since 1985. Manuscripts of some of her works are kept in the Montreal collection of the

, and her works were broadcast on

Radio-Canada Radio-Canada may refer to: * CBC/Radio-Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation *Ici Radio-Canada Télé, the CBC's main French-language television network *Ici Radio-Canada Première Ici Radio-Canada Première (formerly Première Chaîne) i ...

. She died on July 22, 2021, in Montreal.

Personal life

Lalonde was married to neurologist Yves-Jules Duchastel de Montrouge. They had three children.

Analysis

According to Ian Lockerbie in Lalonde's entry in ''The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French'', she was "prominent among the many Quebec writers in the 1960s who committed themselves publicly to the nationalist cause through public performances, poster poems, marches, and manifestos." Mary Jean Green noted the poet described her works as "very intimist poems ... where I speak in a personal voice." But, in the mid-1960s, Lalonde's works had become "‘committed’: no longer addressed to a limited readership, they sought a wider audience and adherence to the socio-political concerns of the people. In addition, the borders between poetry and the essay began to disappear for her, ‘commitment’ becoming the major concern in her work." She had, according to Green, "become conscious of her role in the struggle for Quebec's autonomy" and that "a significant shift occurred in her poetic voice."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lalonde, Michèle 1937 births 2021 deaths Poets from Montreal Université de Montréal alumni Harvard University alumni University of Baltimore alumni Alumni of the University of London 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers 20th-century Canadian poets 21st-century Canadian poets 20th-century Canadian essayists 21st-century Canadian essayists 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Canadian poets in French Canadian dramatists and playwrights in French Canadian women poets Canadian women essayists Canadian women dramatists and playwrights