Adrien Thério
Adrien Thério was a prominent Canadian writer and academic born on August 15, 1925, in Saint-Modeste, Quebec. He pursued higher education in literature and political science, earning degrees from the University of Ottawa and Université Laval, and later studied at Harvard University. His career included teaching positions at the University of Toronto and the Royal Military College, where he headed the French department. Thério was a notable advocate for French-Canadian literature, founding influential journals such as Livres et auteurs québécois and Lettres québécois, and receiving the Prix Arthur-Buies in 1991 for his contributions.
His literary works encompass novels, short stories, plays, and critical studies, showcasing a deep engagement with themes such as youth, love, and identity, often reflecting the unique landscape of Quebec. Among his notable publications are the semi-autobiographical novel *Les Brèves années* and various short story collections like *Contes des belles saisons*. Thério’s legacy also includes significant anthologies that document French-Canadian fiction, contributing to the preservation and promotion of this cultural heritage. He passed away on July 24, 2003, leaving behind a rich literary and scholarly tradition.
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Adrien Thério
Author
- Born: August 15, 1925
- Birthplace: Saint-Modeste, Quebec, Canada
- Died: July 24, 2003
Biography
Adrien Thério was born on August 15, 1925, in Saint- Modeste, Quebec, Canada. He obtained a B.A. from the University of Ottawa in 1950 and an M.A. from that school in 1951, and he received his Ph.D. in French literature from the Université Laval in 1953. He studied literature at Harvard University in 1955 and 1956, and then earned a master’s degree in political science at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. After teaching for a year at University College, University of Toronto, he became a faculty member at the Royal Military College from 1960 through 1969, becoming head of the French department in 1962. He then returned to the University of Ottawa.
Thério was an important promoter of French-Canadian literature. He founded the journal Livres et auteurs québécois in 1969 and subsequently founded Lettres québécois. He also edited the magazine Incidences, which was eventually renamed Coincidences. Thério was awarded the Prix Arthur- Buies in recognition of these endeavors in 1991.
Thério’s first novel, Les Brèves années, was a semiautobiographical account of adolescence in Quebec. His early works of nonfiction grew out of his doctoral studies at Laval, which analyzed the work and career of the journalist and writer Jules Fournier. His reputation as a short-story writer was at least equal to his reputation as a novelist, cemented by such collections as Contes des belles saisons, Mes beaux meurtres, and La Tête en fête et autres histoires étranges. He was also a playwright and his most notable works for the stage were Les Renégats and Le Roi d’Aragon
The tenor of Thério’s work, in common with much French-Canadian fiction, embodied a strong sensitivity to landscape and its seasonal changes, as indicated by such titles as Le Printemps qui pleure, which means the crying of springtime. He translated similarly celebratory works by the American writer Henry David Thoreau. Thério’s wrote about a wide range of subjects. He addressed more intimate issues in such works as Soliloque en hommage à une femme and Les Fous d’amour and imported a quirky satirical outlook into such works as Un Païen chez les pingouins.
Thério’s work in identifying and constructing a distinctive historical tradition of French-Canadian fiction included the compilation of two definitive anthologies of French- Canadian short stories: Conteurs québécois: 1900-1940, a compilation of short stories from 1900 through 1940, and Conteurs canadiens français: Époque contemporaine, a collection of more recent stories. His critical studies of the tradition were primarily published in the journal he founded, Livres et auteurs québécois. His book Des choses à dire employs a literary journal to study his own creative process. The most obvious legacy of his studies in political science was an anthology he edited on Un Siècle de collusion entre le clergé et le gouvernement britannique, but it had earlier been manifest in his extended essay C’est ici que le monde à commencé. Thério died on July 24, 2003.