Antoine Gérin-Lajoie
Antoine Gérin-Lajoie was a notable French Canadian author and journalist born on August 4, 1824, in Yamachiche, Québec. The eldest of sixteen siblings, he began his literary journey at a young age, writing poetry by the age of fifteen. Gérin-Lajoie made significant contributions to Canadian literature, including the creation of the first French Canadian play, *Le Jeune Latour*, premiered in 1844. He initially worked as an editor for the liberal newspaper *Minerve* but later shifted his focus to law, opening a law office in 1848. Though he started a career in law, he transitioned into government service, ultimately becoming an assistant librarian in Parliament.
Gérin-Lajoie is best known for his novels, *Jean Rivard, le dèfrieheur canadien* (1874) and *Jean Rivard, l'économiste* (1876), which depict the lives of rural French Canadians. He also founded two literary magazines, *Les Soirées canadiennes* and *Le Foyer canadien*, where he published fragments of his novels. His work includes *Dix ans au Canada, de 1840 à 1850*, a nonfiction exploration of Canadian governance during a pivotal era. He passed away in Ottawa in 1882 after suffering a series of strokes. Gérin-Lajoie's legacy is significant in the context of French Canadian cultural and literary history.
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Antoine Gérin-Lajoie
Writer
- Born: August 4, 1824
- Birthplace: Yamachiche, Quebec, Canada
- Died: August 4, 1882
- Place of death: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Biography
French Canadian author and journalist Antoine Gérin-Lajoie was born in Yamachiche, Québec, on August 4, 1824. He was the son of Antoine Gérin and Amable Gélinas and was the eldest of sixteen brothers and sisters. Gérin-Lajoie’s passion for literature emerged at an early age; he started writing poetry at the age of fifteen. He attended the Collège de Nicolet in Nicolet, Québec, where he wrote the first French Canadian play, Le Jeune Latour (the young Latour), which was given a special performance in July, 1844. He started working as an editor on the staff of the Minerve, a liberal Montreal newspaper, in 1845, but in 1847 he abandoned journalism to pursue a law degree. After completing his studies, he opened a law office in 1848, but he soon decided that he would be better suited for government service. He became a transcriber in the Department of Public Works in 1849 and spent the latter part of his life working as an assistantlibrarian in Parliament. He published a brief work on Canadian political institutions in 1851 titled Catèchisme politique.
Gérin-Lajoie was the founder of two literary magazines, Les Soirées canadiennes, which lasted from 1861 to 1865, and Le Foyer canadien, published from 1863 to 1866. He published fragments of his two novels within the pages of these journals. He is perhaps best known for these two novels: Jean Rivard, le dèfrieheur canadien (1874) and Jean Rivard, l’économiste (1876). They focus on the idyllic lives of rural French Canadians. He also authored Dix ans au Canada, de 1840 à 1850, a nonfiction account of the Canadian government during the critical period immediately following its union. He died in Ottawa following his third stroke in 1882.