Hubert Aquin
Hubert Aquin was a prominent Quebec writer and political activist, born in Montreal on October 24, 1929. He graduated with a degree in philosophy from the University of Montreal before moving to Paris to study political issues, where he engaged in social activism and wrote for local publications. Upon returning to Canada, Aquin worked as a producer for Radio-Canada and later as a scriptwriter and director for the National Film Board of Canada. His involvement in the Quebec separatist movement deepened during his tenure with the Rassemblement pour l'indépendance nationale (RIN), where he held various leadership roles. Known for his radical views, he became increasingly disillusioned with the political landscape, culminating in his dramatic suicide in 1977. Aquin's literary breakthrough came with his novel *Prochain épisode*, which reflected his revolutionary spirit and earned him significant acclaim. Despite his early death, he remains celebrated as one of Quebec's greatest writers, with his work still influential today, evidenced by honors such as the Prix David and continued recognition of his contributions to literature and Quebec's cultural identity.
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Hubert Aquin
- Born: October 24, 1929
- Birthplace: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Died: March 15, 1977
- Place of death: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Biography
Hubert Aquin was born to Jean and Lucile Aquin, owners of a sporting goods store, in Montreal, Quebec, on October 24, 1929. He graduated from the University of Montreal in 1951 with a degree in philosophy. Intensely interested in political issues, he studied the next three years in Paris at the Institut d’ Etudes Politiques. There he wrote articles for L’Autorite and took a leading role in social activism.
When he returned to Montreal he joined Radio-Canada as a producer in 1955, remaining there for four years. In 1959 he assumed a new position as a script writer and film director for the Canada National Film Board, where he worked until 1963. During this time Aquin became increasingly immersed in the volatile politics of Quebec separatism. In 1960 he joined the separatist organization Rassemblement pour l’ indépendance nationale (RIN), in which he assumed various leadership positions between 1963 and 1968. He also became the editor of a Quebec nationalist journal, Liberte, in 1961. Aquin became increasingly radicalized, announcing in 1964 that he was joining an underground terrorist movement. In July, 1964, he was arrested for possession of stolen property and an illegal firearm. Upon entering a plea of insanity, Aquin was transferred from Montreal Prison to a psychiatric institute. In the institute he awaited trial and wrote his first novel, Prochain épisode, the story of an imprisoned revolutionary that earned him instant fame.
When Aquin was acquitted in late 1964 he was hailed as Quebec’s greatest writer, celebrated as much for his colorful political activism as for his literary gifts. In 1968 he abandoned RIN when it became the Parti Québécois, a move he thought fatal for the separatist movement. In 1969 he refused the Governor General’s Literary Award from the Canada Council for the Arts for political reasons; two years later he parted ways with Liberte, denouncing the journal’s dependence on government subsidies and its attendant compromises. Aquin could not compromise on anything he believed was dictated by the establishment. In 1976 he was fired as literary director of Editions la presse when he publicly accused its editor of being a colonialist.
As a radical separatist, Aquin felt himself and his cause increasingly betrayed by the independence movement and by his waning ability to write. On March 15, 1977, he shot himself on the roadway of a Montreal convent school with a gun he inherited from his father. Aquin’s reputation did not die with him. Though something of a cult figure, he is considered the greatest Quebec writer of his day. The University of Quebec, where he taught from 1969 to 1970, named a building in his honor. In 1972 he was awarded the Prix David, Quebec’s most valued literary award, to honor the totality of his work. In 2003 Prochain épisode, the novel that catapulted him to fame, again headed the best-seller list when it was honored as a Canadian Broadcasting Council Canada Reads winner.