Félix-Antoine Savard
Félix-Antoine Savard (1896-1982) was a notable Quebecois writer and Roman Catholic priest whose contributions spanned literature, education, and community service. Born in Quebec City and raised in Chicoutimi, he pursued a bachelor's degree before studying at the Grand Séminaire, where he later taught Latin and French. Ordained in 1922, Savard dedicated his early career to parish work, notably founding agricultural villages for unemployed families in the 1930s. His literary work, particularly the acclaimed novel *Menaud, maître-draveur* (1937), explores themes related to the exploitation of Quebec's natural resources and workers, reflecting a deep connection to both French and French Canadian cultures. Savard's writings are recognized for their vivid imagery and poetic language, earning him several prestigious awards, including the Prix David and Governor General's Award. He also served as a professor at Université Laval and was involved with various academic institutions later in his career. His legacy includes membership in the Royal Society of Canada and the Académie Canadienne-Française, as well as numerous accolades that celebrate his impactful body of work.
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Subject Terms
Félix-Antoine Savard
Priest
- Born: August 31, 1896
- Birthplace: Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
- Died: August 24, 1982
Biography
Writer and priest Félix-Antoine Savard was born in 1896 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, the son of Louis-Joseph and Ida- Genevieve Gosselin. After a childhood spent in Chicoutimi, Quebec, with summers spent traveling the Saguenay River, Savard finished a bachelor’s degree and enrolled at the Grand Seminaire school in Chicoutimi in 1918. From 1919 to 1926, he taught Latin and French at the Grand Seminaire, and in 1922 he was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest, after which he served in Charlevoix County parishes. Around 1926 he spent some time at a Benedictine monastery, and from that time through 1941 he founded and directed parishes throughout the rural areas of Quebec.
In 1934, Savard established two small agricultural villages for a group of unemployed workers and their families. His experiences with these people, as well as his experience in forestry, informed some of his writings, known for their imagery, poetic language, and combined use of French and French Canadian cultures. Savard joined the Universite Laval in Quebec City as a professor and folklorist in 1941 and served as the school’s dean of the faculty of letters from 1950 to 1957. From 1970 to 1973, he was a research associate at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Savard’s most widely-known book is Menaud, maître-draveur (1937; Boss of the River, 1947). The tale of a seasoned lumberjack frustrated by foreign companies’ abuse of Quebec’s natural resources and workers won the Académie Française’s Prix David and Prix de la Lengue awards. Savard twice revised Menaud, maître-draveur, first in 1944 and again in 1960.
Savard was welcomed into the Royal Society of Canada in 1945 and retained his membership until 1954. In 1955, he became a member of the Académie Canadienne-Française. His other awards included the Medaille de l’Academie Francaise in 1945; the Lorne Pierce Medal in 1945; the Prix Duvernay in 1948; a Governor General’s Award in 1960; a Prix du Grand Jury des Lettres in 1961; and a Prix Athanase-David, for his entire body of work, in 1968.