Robert Charbonneau
Robert Charbonneau was a prominent Canadian novelist, essayist, and publisher born in Montreal in 1911. He became actively involved in the Quebec nationalist movement, advocating for the province's independence from Canada and emphasizing the importance of the French language and Catholic faith as defining elements of Quebec's identity. Charbonneau's literary career began in the early 1930s when he engaged in radio broadcasts supporting Jeune Canada, a nationalistic youth movement, and later founded the influential periodical La Relève in 1934, which celebrated French Canadian artists and their separatist ideals.
Throughout his life, Charbonneau published five novels, with his first, "Ils posséderont la terre" (1941), gaining significant recognition for its intricate narrative style. His subsequent works, including "Fontile" (1945) and "Les Désirs et les jours" (1948), explored themes of political turmoil and personal introspection in Quebec. Charbonneau's literary contributions were acknowledged with numerous awards, including the Prix Duvernay and Pierre Chauveau medals, and he held memberships in prestigious literary societies. His works are noted for their philosophical depth, as characters often engage in reflections on ideology, religion, and society, illustrating Charbonneau's lasting impact on Quebec literature and culture until his death from a heart attack in 1967.
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Robert Charbonneau
Author
- Born: February 3, 1911
- Birthplace: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Died: June 26, 1967
Biography
Born in Montreal, Canada, in 1911, Robert Charbonneau became active in the Quebec nationalist movement, which sought to make the province independent from the country of Canada. Charbonneau remained passionately dedicated to the French language, French influence, and the province’s Catholic faith, aspects which identified and differentiated Quebec from other Canadian provinces. Such allegiance tells us much about the novelist, essayist, and publisher.
Charbonneau began his career in the early 1930’s, making radio broadcasts in support of Jeune Canada, a nationalistic youth movement that envisioned an independent Quebec, which, in 1934, led to the creation of a periodical that praised French Canadian artists with like-minded ideas about separatism. That journal, La Relève, served to promote an exchange of ideas among Quebecan art, literature, and philosophy. From this venue, Charbonneau obtained work at the well-known journal La Patrie, later moving up to news editor at the paper Le Canada. One year later, in 1943, he founded the publishing company Editions de l’Arbre with his friend, Claude Hurtubise.
In addition to his journalistic and publishing activities, Charbonneau produced five novels during his lifetime. The first, and perhaps most famous, Ils posséderont la terre (1941), is written in contrasting perspectives that reveal information and character in oblique ways, until taken as a whole. His next novel, Fontile (1945), takes its name from the fictional town in his first work. Charbonneau’s third novel, Les Désirs et les jours (1948), deals with the depression-ridden city of Quebec, unmasking the inherent corruption, hypocrisy, and political turmoil of a city that has forsaken its distinctiveness and aspirations for independence. His fourth work, Aucune Créature (1961), seems somewhat autobiographical, with its middle-aged writer protagonist realizing his limitations, his opportunities for producing a great work dwindling day by day, and his growing infatuation with a younger woman for he would leave his family. This work may have moved Charbonneau to take an undeniably autobiographical approach to his final novel, Chronique de l’âge amer (1967), a work that recalls the early days of La Relève, the more politically active and nationalistic La Revue, and more personal remembrances of famous literary and political figures in 1930’s Quebec.
Before he died of a heart attack in 1967, Charbonneau received many literary awards, among them the Prix Duvernay and the Pierre Chauveau medals. He was also elected to prestigious literary societies, such as the French Académie Ronsard. His greatest achievement as a writer may lie in his artistic philosophy and style of narrative, in which his characters comment on ideology, religion, philosophy, or society.