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Antonine Maillet, novelist (b at Bouctouche, NB 10 May 1929). After the success of La Sagouine (1971; tr 1979) and PÉLAGIE-LA-CHARRETTE (1979), Maillet dominated contemporary Acadian literature. The latter won the Prix Goncourt, bringing her overnight fame in France, where it sold over 1 million copies. Her imaginary universe is rooted in the geography, history and people of ACADIA. Her novels, often reworked for the theatre, fuse adventure, desire, frustration, agony and joy to offer a new image of the original Acadia, restructured to fit an epic vision. She presents a simple event (conflict between 2 characters, a collective struggle to conquer the land, the long trip back to the homeland), rich in every kind of development. As the characters work through these developments, they become symbols. The language of these pieces, a fusion of "ancient and sonorous words" and literary language, is an original creation. The narrator is often presented not as an individual but as a collective being - the memory of the Acadian people. Maillet is a storyteller; but La Sagouine is not a narration. Here the character is autonomous and has an authenticity and complexity that lifts her above the other characters in the piece.
Maillet's renown coincides with an Acadian cultural revival. La Sagouine, as well as being a genuine literary success, appeared at the right moment to give voice to the Acadians. We find in that voice wisdom and lucidity, verve and reserve, humour and anger. As the author herself says, to recognize her works is to recognize the people to whom she belongs. Among her other works are Pointe-aux-Coques (1985), Don l'Orignal (1972), L'Acadie pour quasiment rien (1973), Évangeline Deusse (1975), Les Cordes-de-bois (1977), La Gribouille (1982) and Le Huitième Jour (1986, tr 1987), L'Oursiade (1990), Comme un cri du couer (1992) and Les Confessions de Jeanne de Valois (1992). Madame Perfecta was a finalist for the 2002 Prix Odysse. She has taught literature and folklore at Laval and is a Companion of the Order of Canada and an Officier des Arts et des Lettres de France.
 Maillet, AntonineMaillet's novels fuse adventure, desire, frustration, agony and joy to offer a new image of the original Acadia (photo by Andrew Danson).
Author
YVES BOLDUC
Links to Other Sites
Antonine Maillet
Novelist and playwright Antonine Maillet is the subject of this Library and Archives Canada website.
Antonine Maillet
A brief profile of author Antonine Maillet. From Library and Archives Canada.
Antonine Maillet
This site is devoted to novelist Antonine Maillet, the "Acadian Avenger." From CBC Archives.
CEAD: Antonine Maillet
A brief bio and synopses of plays by author Antonine Maillet. From the Centre des auteurs dramatiques.
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