Jean-Aubert Loranger

Playwright

  • Born: October 26, 1896
  • Birthplace: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • Died: October 28, 1942
  • Place of death: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Biography

Jean-Aubert Loranger was a French Canadian poet born in Montreal, Quebec, in 1896. Loranger attended school at Mont Saint Louis, where he studied to become a journalist. He held a number of odd jobs, including serving as a liquor commissioner in Quebec in 1922. The following year, he took a job with La Patrie, a newspaper in Quebec; in 1927, he began a new job as the associate director of information for La Presse, another French Canadian publication. In the early 1930’s, Loranger became involved with the Canadian navy, serving as a secretary to the minister of the navy and working for several years at the port of Montreal. Following his time in the military, Loranger returned to La Patrie, and later took a reporting job with the Montreal Matin.

Loranger was a rather prolific writer. He wrote a vast number of news stories, articles, and essays for the newspapers for which he worked. In his spare time, he worked on other literary projects, including novels and collections of verse. While Loranger’s work was very well received by critics and the public, these works failed to earn him enough money to support himself and his family.

Loranger first found literary success in 1920, when his collection of poetry, Les Atmosphères, was published. His second collection of poetry, the aptly titled Poèmes, appeared in 1922. His play, L’Orage, was produced in 1923, and his collection of short stories, A la recherche du régionalisme: Le Village, Contes et nouvelles du terroir (1925), was also very well received. He died on October 28, 1942, in Montreal. Many of his works were reprinted in the 1970’s, reintroducing his work and his talent to literary circles.