Gatien Lapointe
Gatien Lapointe (1931-1983) was a prominent Québécois poet and educator known for his significant contributions to Canadian literature. Born in Sainte-Justine-de-Dorchester, Quebec, he faced personal tragedy early in life with the death of his father, which influenced his artistic development. Lapointe began writing poetry during his studies at the Petit Séminaire and later at the Université de Montréal, where he received a B.A. and M.A. He published several poetry collections, including "Jour malaise" and "Ode au Saint-Laurent," the latter reflecting his deep connection to the Saint Lawrence River and the identity of Quebec.
After spending six years in Europe, primarily in Paris, he returned to Quebec in 1962 to teach at the Collège Militaire de Saint-Jean and later at the Université du Quebec à Trois-Rivières. He was also instrumental in founding Écrits des Forges, a publishing house aimed at supporting emerging poets. Throughout his career, Lapointe received numerous accolades for his work, and his legacy continues through organizations dedicated to studying his poetry. His writings are celebrated for their embodiment of North American, Canadian, and Québécois identity, particularly through his poignant expressions of place and belonging.
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Subject Terms
Gatien Lapointe
Poet
- Born: December 18, 1931
- Birthplace: Sainte-Justine-de-Dorchester, Quebec, Canada
- Died: September 15, 1983
- Place of death: Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada
Biography
Joseph-Gatien-Fernand Lapointe was born on December 18, 1931, in Sainte-Justine-de-Dorchester, Quebec, Canada, the son of farmers Evangéliste and Elisa Lessard Lapointe. He attended a local grade school. His father’s death in 1943 was a terrible tragedy for the young Lapointe.
In 1947, Lapointe moved to Quebec City to study at the Petit Séminaire. While attending the school between 1947 and 1950, he also began to write poetry. He later entered the École des Arts Graphiques, but he left in 1952 to study literature at the Université de Montréal, where he earned a B. A. in 1955 and an M.A. in 1956. While still a student, he published two books of poetry, Jour malaise in 1953 and Otages de la joie in 1955.
After completing his college education, Lapointe lived and traveled in Europe for six years, spending much of the time in Paris. He composed his most famous poem, “Ode au Saint- Laurent,” while living abroad. In this poem, he identifies the Saint Lawrence River with the people and language of Quebec. Lapointe further identifies himself as fully North American, his body the product of the rain, snow, and countryside of Canada.
Lapointe returned to Quebec in 1962 and began teaching at the Collège Militaire de Saint-Jean. At the same time, he was publishing regularly in prestigious literary journals, and he released his first major poetry collection, Le Temps premier. In 1963 he published another collection in which “Ode au Saint-Laurent” was the title poem. After leaving the Collège Militaire in 1969, he began teaching creative writing at the Université du Quebec à Trois-Rivières. In the same city, he and some students founded a publishing house, Écrits des Forges. The company’s goal was to publish young, undiscovered poets. Écrits des Forges published Lapointe’s Le Premier passage in 1983, the same year the poet was discovered dead in his house in Trois-Rivières.
Lapointe’s contributions to Canadian literature can be seen by the many awards and honors he received during his lifetime. He received a travel fellowship from the Royal Society of Canada in 1956, and he won the Prix du Club des Poètes for Le Temps premier in 1962. In 1963, he received the Prix du Gouveneur General, the Prix du Maurier, and the Prix de la Province de Quebec for Ode au Saint-Laurent, précédé de J’appartiens à la terre. He also received the Prix de la Province du Quebec for Le Premier mot, précédé de Le Pari de ne pas mourir. After his death, he was awarded the Prix de Littérature Gérard Godin in 1984. In addition, there is a society devoted solely to the study of Lapointe’s works, Les Amis des Gatien Lapointe.
If for no other poem than “Ode au Saint-Laurent,” Lapointe deserves a position of respect among French Canadian writers. His work, sometimes associated with the Hexagone poets, is fully North American, fully Canadian, and fully Québécois.