Robert Choquette
Robert Choquette was a Canadian author and poet, born on April 22, 1905, in Manchester, New Hampshire, to a family that had migrated from Quebec, Canada. After spending his early years in Lewiston, Maine, he faced personal tragedy with the loss of his mother, leading him to live with his grandmother in Montreal. Choquette's educational background included significant studies in music and literature, which set the foundation for his literary career. He achieved early recognition for his poetry, winning the Prix David for his collection *À travers les vents* in 1925.
Choquette's literary contributions spanned various genres, including poetry, novels, and screenwriting. His first novel, *La Pension Leblanc*, published in 1927, drew inspiration from a cross-country trip across North America. Throughout the 1930s and beyond, he continued to produce notable works, including the award-winning *Suite marine*. His innovative approach to adapting literature for radio and television marked him as a pioneer in modern media. In addition to his writing, Choquette held diplomatic roles, serving as Canadian consul in Bordeaux and as an ambassador in South America. His extensive body of work and influence on subsequent poets highlight his significant role in the Canadian literary landscape.
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Robert Choquette
Writer
- Born: April 22, 1905
- Birthplace: Manchester, New Hampshire
- Died: January 22, 1991
- Place of death: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Biography
Robert Choquette was born in Manchester, New Hampshire, on April 22, 1905, to Joseph- Alfred Choquette, a physician, and Ariane Payette Choquette. His family migrated from Quebec, Canada, for employment in the northeastern United States. Consequently, Choquette was raised in Lewiston, Maine, for the first eight years of his life; in his ninth year, Choquette’s mother died, an even that forced Choquette’s father to send him to his maternal grandmother in Montreal, Quebec; Joseph-Alfred Choquette rejoined his son in Montreal at a later date.
Choquette’s education prepared him for his future career in the public sphere. At the College of Notre Dame, Choquette studied and practiced piano and singing lessons. And at Saint Laurent College, he studied classics while also performing for the school’s drama troupe. Moreover, from 1921 to 1926, Choquette studied at Loyola College, where he concentrated his efforts on learning about French and British Romanticism. Before he earned his B.A., Choquette won a Prix David for his short volume of poetry entitled À travers les vents (through the winds) in 1925. After his graduation, Choquette was selected as the librarian for the Montreal’s Ecole des Beaux Arts and was nominated as the vice president of the Canadian Author’s Association.
Shortly after his graduation, Choquette took a cross-country road trip that spanned from Montreal to Los Angeles, California. After his return to Montreal, Choquette used his journey’s experiences as material for his first novel, La Pension Leblanc, published in 1927. Moreover, La Pension Leblanc became a source for Choquette’s future television and radio series. Furthermore, in 1927, Choquette began working for the Montreal Gazette as a police reporter as well as a literary editor for Revue Moderne.
During the 1930’s, Choquette broadened his literary achievements by producing two more volumes of poetry, two radio novels, and one screenplay. His Metropolitan Museum, a collection of poetry based on his observations from a visit to New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, won an additional Prix David in 1931. In 1937, he married Marguerite Canac-Marquis; they had two children.
During the 1940’s Choquette spent most of his time as an author-in-residence at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. At this time, he began composing his epic poem, Suite marine, which was published in 1953 and garnered numerous awards: the Prix de Poesie de l’Academie Francaise, a third Prix David, and a Prix Edgar Poe. During the 1950’s, Choquette utilized the burgeoning television industry to showcase his literary talents. By the end of the decade, he had created twenty-eight pieces for television.
By the end of the 1960’s, Choquette deliberately limited his writing ventures for traveling. From 1965 to 1968, he served as Canadian consul to Bordeaux, France, and from 1968 to 1970, he was an ambassador for the Canadian government to Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. Choquette’s major literary achievements are evident in his diverse output. His ability to adapt his literary works to radio and television clearly mark him as pioneer in the history of modern media. Moreover, his work in poetry inspired and influenced subsequent generations of poets.