Léo-Paul Desrosiers
Léo-Paul Desrosiers (1896-1976) was a notable Canadian author and cultural figure from Berthier-en-Haut, Quebec. Born into a large farming family, he embraced the richness of rural life, which became a central theme in his literary works, including stories, novels, and memoirs. After studying law at the University of Montreal, Desrosiers shifted his career focus toward literature, working as a journalist, librarian, and editor, ultimately serving as the chief librarian of the Montreal Municipal Library. He was married to Marie-Antoinette Tardif, a writer known by her pen name, and they had three children. Desrosiers received numerous accolades for his literary achievements, which reflect his deep interest in Canadian history and psychological insights. He authored several acclaimed novels, such as *Les Engagés du grand portage*, and published biographies of significant Canadian figures and scholarly studies on Indigenous contributions to New France. His work played a vital role in preserving Quebec's history and culture, earning him membership in prestigious organizations like the Royal Society of Canada. Desrosiers remains recognized for both his literary contributions and his dedication to promoting Quebec's heritage.
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Subject Terms
Léo-Paul Desrosiers
Author
- Born: April 11, 1896
- Birthplace: Berthier-en-Haut, Quebec, Canada
- Died: April 20, 1967
Biography
Leo Paul Desrosiers was born on April 11, 1896, in Berthier-en-Haut (Berthierville), Quebec, Canada, the youngest son of Louis and Marie (Olivier) Desrosiers’s fourteen children. He attended Seminaire de Joliette and the University of Montreal, where he studied law. In 1922, he married Marie-Antoinette Tardif, a writer who went by the pen name of Michelle Le Normand. The couple had three children, Louis, Claude, and Michelle.
Desrosiers came from an established Québécois farming family, and he often celebrated rural life and characters in his stories, novels and memoirs. Although he had legal training, he chose instead to devote himself to more literary employment, working as a journalist, a librarian, and an editor to support himself and his family while he pursued his creative literary interests. He eventually served as the chief librarian of the Montreal Municipal Library and the principal of the Montreal School of Library Science.
During his lifetime, Desrosiers was the recipient of many awards, including the Prix d’Action Intellectuelle, 1922, for Ames et paysages; the Vermeille medal of the French Academy, 1931, for Nord-Sud; the Prix de la Province de Quebec, 1938, for Les Engagés du grand portage; the Prix Duvernay, 1951, for L’Ampoule d’or; and the Lorne Pierce medal for his body of work, 1963. He was a member of the Royal Society of Canada, the Societe des Dix, the Société historique de Montreal, and the Academie Canadienne-Française, which he cofounded in 1944.
Many of Desrosiers’s novels, such as Les Engagés du grand portaage (1938), emphasize survival against overwhelming odds, and his work garnered much critical acclaim for it psychological acuity and historical accuracy. Desrosiers had a keen interest in Canadian history, and published three biographies of significant Canadian figures. He also wrote Iroquoise, a scholarly study of the role of American Indians, specifically the Iroquois nation, in the history of New France. He achieved national recognition for his fictional works that center on the Quebec countryside and its people and for his contributions to the preservation of Quebec’s history.