born Aug. 1, 1916, Sainte-Catherine-de-Fossambault, Que., Can.
died Jan. 22, 2000, Montreal, Que.
Canadian novelist and poet.
Daughter of a poet and critic, Hébert began her career by writing poetry. After the mid 1950s, however, she moved to Paris, where she produced a number of novels that are psychological examinations of violence, rebellion, and the quest for personal freedom. She was three times the recipient of Canada's highest literary award, the Governor General's Award, once for her poetry in Poems (1960) and twice for her fiction ( Kamourska , 1970, and Burden of Dreams , 1992).