Simone Routier
Simone Routier was a prominent Canadian poet born on March 4, 1901, in Quebec. She pursued her education at the Convent des Ursulines and Université Laval, eventually forming a close friendship with fellow Québécois poet Alain Grandbois. Routier's literary career began with her first volume of poems, *L'Immortel adolescent*, which explores the complexities of love and was met with critical acclaim upon its release in 1929. She later moved to Paris, where she studied at the Sorbonne and supported herself as a draftswoman and cartographer, publishing her second volume, *Ceux qui seront aimés*, which also won several awards. Notably, her 1934 collection, *Les Tentations*, showcased her versatility in poetic forms and themes of spiritual and sensual exploration. The turmoil of World War II deeply affected her life, as she lost her fiancé and had to flee France, ultimately returning to Canada. Routier's later works reflect a blend of religious faith and everyday experiences. After marrying in 1958, she continued to publish poetry and articles until her passing on November 6, 1987, leaving behind a legacy that some scholars argue warrants further recognition.
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Subject Terms
Simone Routier
Poet
- Born: March 4, 1901
- Birthplace: Quebec, Canada
- Died: November 6, 1987
- Place of death:
Biography
Simone Routier was born on March 4, 1901, in Quebec, Canada, to Alfred-Charles Routier, a jeweler, and Zelia La Force Routier. She attended the Convent des Ursulines and the Universite Laval. In her late teens she became very close to another Québécois poet, Alain Grandbois, but after two years their relationship ended, although they were to remain friends until Grandbois’s death in 1975. Routier later fell in love with a young Protestant man who spoke English, but her parents frowned on the idea of a marriage, and Routier did not marry until she was fifty-seven years old.
Routier’s first volume of poems, L’Immortel adolescent, traces the emotion of love from initial exhilaration through doubt, loss, despair, and finally spiritual triumph when the young woman of the poems is transformed into a poet herself, becoming the reader’s muse. Routier would continue to develop and refine the major themes of these poems in her subsequent work.
L’Immortel adolescent was a tremendous popular and critical success, selling out immediately and winning the Prix David from the Province of Quebec in 1929. That year, by invitation, she became a member of the Société des Poètes Canadiens-Français. In 1930, she moved to Paris, France, enrolling at the Sorbonne to study phonetics and literature. She supported herself for ten years as a draftswoman and cartographer. In 1931, her second volume of poems, Ceux qui seront aimés, was awarded several prizes in both Canada and France.
In 1934, Routier published what is generally considered her masterpiece, Les Tentations. In this collection, she worked expertly in a variety of poetic forms, from precise medieval structure to modern free verse. The latter may have been more in keeping with the themes of sensuous awakening and unfettered adventure described in the poems, which evoke the places she visited in Europe and Africa.
World War II was a traumatic time for Routier. Her fiancé was killed by mortar fire, and she had to flee France, leaving behind ten years of manuscripts, as the German occupation expanded. In 1940, she returned to Canada and went to work at the Canadian Archives in Ottawa, also enrolling at the Institut Dominicain de Philosophie. The poetry she published during the 1940’s embodies a new theme of religious faith, but she continued to believe that spiritual fulfillment comes through acceptance of everyday experience. For example, her Résponse à “Désespoir de vieille fille”, written under the pen name Marie de Villiers, takes issue with another poet who had advocated renunciation of the world.
In 1958, Routier married J.-Fortunat Drouin, and although she had retired from her job, she continued to produce poems and articles for various publications. She also published many of her previously unpublished poems in book form. By the time of her death on November 6, 1987, she had gained many honors, including election to the Académie Canadienne-Française. Nevertheless, some scholars believe that her work deserves greater critical attention than it has received.