Albert Lozeau

Author

  • Born: June 23, 1878
  • Birthplace: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • Died: March 24, 1924
  • Place of death: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Biography

French Canadian poet Albert Lozeau was born on June 23, 1878, in Montreal, Quebec. When he was thirteen years old, he was stricken with a disease, probably spinal tuberculosis, that left his legs paralyzed. As a result, he rarely left his house for the remainder of his life. He started writing poetry, finding inspiration in both older French poetry and contemporary Romantic poetry. He wrote mainly of nature and of love, and his intimate, melancholy style represented a departure from the somewhat staid, impersonal French Canadian poetry that preceded him.

His poetry collections include L’Ame solitaire (1907), and Le Miroir des jours (1912). His collection Lauriers et feuilles d’érable came out in 1916, and Images du pays was published posthumously in 1926. In addition to poetry, Lozeau wrote essays about the everyday occurrences of life, and many of these essays were published in local Montreal newspapers. His essays were collected and published in three volumes as Billets du soir in 1911, 1912, and 1918. Lozeau was elected to the Royal Society of Canada in 1911 and was named an Officier d’Académie by the French government in 1912. He died in Montreal on March 24, 1924.