Jean Le Moyne
Jean Le Moyne was a prominent Canadian politician, essayist, and cultural figure active primarily during the 1960s and 1970s. Born in 1913 in Montreal, Quebec, he faced significant challenges, including serious hearing problems that influenced his educational journey, which focused on classical studies and theology. An avid reader, Le Moyne was influenced by a wide range of philosophical and literary figures, contributing to his intellectual depth and literary prowess. He was a co-founder of the literary magazine La Relève, which aimed to revitalize French Canadian literature.
In addition to his literary contributions, Le Moyne worked as a newspaper reporter and later as a researcher for the National Film Board of Canada, where he wrote scripts for documentary films celebrating Canadian culture. His essay collections, particularly "Convergences," garnered significant public attention and showcased his deep Christian humanism and critical perspectives on Québécois nationalism and the role of women in society. Recognized for his cultural impact, he received the Governor-General's Award and the Molson Prize, and served as a special assistant to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Le Moyne was appointed to the Canadian Senate in 1982 and continued to influence Canadian culture until his retirement in 1996, leaving a lasting legacy upon his death on April 1 of that year.
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Jean Le Moyne
Author
- Born: February 17, 1913
- Birthplace: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Died: April 1, 1996
Biography
Jean Le Moyne served in the Canadian parliament and was a noted essayist during the 1960’s and 1970’s. He was born in 1913 in Montreal, Quebec, to Mederic Le Moyne, a physician, and Albine Geoffrion Le Moyne. He received his education at the Jesuit Collège de Sainte-Marie, but by 1933 he developed serious hearing problems and his father undertook his further education, concentrating on classical studies and theology. Le Moyne developed into a voracious reader, studying the works of older philosophers, including Baruch Spinoza, and contemporary ones, including Jacques Maritain and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. He also read the classics of Western literature and read widely on the history of music. A particularly influential writer was Henry James, with his balance of European and American culture.
As early as 1929, Le Moyne joined with a number of young intellectuals to seek renewal of French Canadian letters. They founded the magazine La Relève in 1934, which became La Nouvelle Relève in 1941. One of his colleagues was the poet Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau, who died in 1943, when he was only thirty-one years old. Le Moyne later edited and arranged for the publication of Garneau’s poems, journal, and letters.
In 1941, Le Moyne became a newspaper reporter, working for the daily La Presse for a year and then transferring to Le Canada, where he worked until 1944. From 1953 until 1959, he was managing editor of La Revue Moderne and then worked as a researcher for the National Film Board of Canada from 1959 until 1969. In the latter job, he wrote scripts for a series of documentary films promoting Canada. During this time he married Suzanne Rivard, a painter who later became head of the visual arts department at the University of Ottawa.
In 1961, twenty-eight of his essays were published under the title Convergences, published in English translation as Convergences: Essays from Quebec in 1966. These essays brought him to the attention of the Canadian public. He won the Governor-General’s Award in 1962 and the Molsen Prize in 1968 for his contributions to Canadian culture. Then-Prime MinisterPierre Trudeau asked Le Moyne to be his special assistant and senior adviser, a position Le Moyne held from 1969 until 1978.
In addition to Convergences, some of Le Moyne’s essays also were included in a collection of essays by Canadian writers, Au bout de mon âge, published in 1972. Many of the essays in the two collections reveal Le Moyne’s deep Christian humanism, often set in opposition to a narrow Québécois nationalism. Several reappraise the position of women in French Canadian society, suggesting the mother image had been overworked and attacking the conservatism of the Catholic church. Others deal with specific French or American writers, or with various musical topics. They display the range of Le Moyne’s learning and the precision and elegance of his style, which was universally praised by critics.
Le Moyne was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 1982. That year, he was appointed to the Canadian senate and served for five years before taking mandatory retirement. He died on April 1, 1996.