GARNEAU, HECTOR DE SAINT-DENYS

born June 13, 1912, Sainte-Catherine-de-Fossambault, Que., Can. died Oct. 24, 1943, Sainte-Catherine-de-Fossambault poet who was the cofounder of the important French-Canadian literary journal La Relve (1934; The Relief). His intense and introspective verse, filled with images of death and suicide, set him apart from the prevailing regionalism of Canadian literature and strongly influenced the poets who followed. Garneau was the great-grandson of the historian Franois-Xavier Garneau. In his early 20s, he suffered a heart attack and lived thereafter in increasing solitude, writing poetry that reflects the despair he felt over his joyless life. He published only one volume of poetry, Regards et jeux dans l'espace (1937; Glances and Games in Space), in his lifetime. His Posies compltes (1949; Complete Poetry) and Journal (1954), an intimate record of his life between 1935 and 1939, appeared posthumously.