born Oct. 5, 1939, Quebec, Que., Can.
French-Canadian novelist and poet.
In two early, dreamlike novels, Mad Shadows (1959) and Tête blanche (1960), she staked out her territory, working-class people doomed to unrelieved sorrow and grinding poverty. A Season in the Life of Emmanuel (1965) received the Prix Médicis and was widely translated and discussed. Later works include The Manuscripts of Pauline Archange (1968, Governor General's Award) and Deaf to the City (1979, Governor General's Award). She received the Governor General's Award again in 1996 for Soifs (1995). She has also published poetry collections and several plays.