Antonine maillet biography of donald

Winner of the 1979 Governor General's Award for fiction, Antonine Maillet's virtuoso creation, The Tale of Don L'Orignal, is now back in print. Maillet's tale begins one day, not so very long ago but back in the youth of the world, when a hay-covered island materialized off shore, an island populated by fleas who soon took human form. The leader of this uncouth crew of have-nots, Don l'Orignal, wore a moose-antler crown as his badge of office. At his right hand were his brave lieutenants: his son, Noume, and his general, Michel-Archange. The general's wife, the doughty charwoman, spy, and rabble-rouser La Sagouine, had one finger in every pie and one raised to her neighbour, La Sainte.

The Flea Islanders were constantly at odds with the almost as clever but far more civilized upper crust of the mainland village: the mayoress, the schoolteacher, the merchant, the banker. When they invaded and tried to steal a keg of molasses, the outcome of the mock-heroic battle was unclear, except that La Sainte's son, the hapless young Citrouille, and Adeline, the merchant's lovely daughter, had fallen in love.

With the insider's accumulation of oral history, gossip, and shrewd hindsight, Antonine Maillet has conjured up a fictional Acadia that her ancestors would relish. Perhaps those who could read it would have even understood it: she wrote Don l'Orignal in a version of 16th-century domestic French that she adapted for modern readers. In this far-fetched, but always entertaining fable, Maillet holds up a mirror to Acadian history and to an all too fallible human nature.

Canadian writer and scholar (1929–2025)

Antonine Maillet, PC CC OQ ONB FRSCFrench pronunciation:[ɑ̃tɔninmajɛ], (10 May 1929 – 17 February 2025) was an Acadian novelist, playwright and scholar.

Early life and education

Maillet was born on 10 May 1929 in Bouctouche, New Brunswick as one of nine children in her family. Her mother died when she was 14 and her father died 10 years after. Following high school, Maillet received her BA from the Collège Notre-Dame d'Acadie in 1950, followed by an MA from the Université de Moncton in 1959. She then received her PhD in literature in 1971 from the Université Laval. Her thesis is entitled Rabelais et les traditions populaires en Acadie.

Career

Maillet taught literature and folklore at the collège Notre-Dame d'Acadie (1954–1960), the University of Moncton (1965–1967), the Collège des Jésuites de Québec (1968–1969), the Université Laval (1971–1974), and the Université de Montréal between (1974–1975). She later worked for Radio-Canada in Moncton as a scriptwriter and host. In 1988, Maillet hosted the French-language Leaders' Debate for Radio-Canada TV between Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, Liberal Party of Canada Leader John Turner, and New Democratic Party leader Ed Broadbent. From 1989 to 2000, she served as chancellor of the Université de Moncton.

In 1976, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to Companion in 1981. Maillet was awarded the Royal Society of Canada's Lorne Pierce Medal in 1980. In 1985, she was made an Officier des Arts et des Lettres de France and in 2005, she was inducted into the Order of New Brunswick. She was a member of the King's Privy Council for Canada from 1 July 1992. This gave her the right to the honorific prefix "The Honourable" and the Post Nominal Letters "PC" for Life. In 1979 her work Pélagie-la-Charrette

The Flea Islanders were constantly at odds with the almost as clever but far more civilized upper crust of the mainland village: the mayoress, the schoolteacher, the merchant, the banker. When they invaded and tried to steal a keg of molasses, the outcome of the mock-heroic battle was unclear, except that La Sainte's son, the hapless young Citrouille, and Adeline, the merchant's lovely daughter, had fallen in love.

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Author

MONTREAL — Antonine Maillet — novelist, playwright, and proud Acadian — has died at the age of 95.

Her publisher, Leméac, announced the news Monday on social media, saying the author had died overnight at her home in Montreal.

Born in New Brunswick, she became the first Canadian writer to receive the prestigious French literary award Prix Goncourt in 1979 for her novel "Pélagie-la-Charette." Throughout her career her work was deeply inspired by the history, language, folklore, and traditions of the Acadian people, with more than 20 novels and 12 plays to her name.

"Through her talent and eloquence, Antonine Maillet firmly established the Acadian reality within the literary geography of the francophone world," Pierre Filion, director general of Leméac, said in a statement.

"A spokesperson for Acadia for more than 60 years, she played a major role — through her work and unwavering commitment — in affirming Acadian identity in North America. French literature of the 20th century owes her a great debt."

Born on May 10, 1929, in Bouctouche, N.B., Maillet earned a PhD in literature in 1970 from Université Laval in Quebec City. She balanced careers as a teacher and writer while also working as a host and screenwriter for Radio-Canada and CBC in Moncton, N.B.

Her work is a celebration of the Acadian language and heritage. Her novels were often adapted for the stage, blending adventure, desire, frustration, suffering, and joy.

Her play "La Sagouine," first performed in 1971 with Viola Léger in the title role, was a massive success, helping to instil pride in Acadians and contribute to a cultural revival. "Pélagie-la-Charette," meanwhile, made her famous in France, selling more than a million copies.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau praised Maillet for her literary achievements and for her "unwavering" advocacy on behalf of Acadians.

"She was a beacon of Acadian pride and resilience, and