Jovette Marchessault facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jovette Marchessault
Born	February 9, 1938 Montreal, Quebec
Died	December 31, 2012
Occupation	novelist, playwright, artist
Period	1970s–2000s
Notable works	La Terre est trop courte, Violette Leduc; Le Voyage magnifique d'Emily Carr

Jovette Marchessault (February 9, 1938 – December 31, 2012) was a talented Canadian writer and artist from Quebec. She explored many creative fields, including writing novels, poetry, and drama. She also created beautiful paintings and sculptures. Jovette Marchessault was a key figure in Canadian literature and art, especially for women. Many of her famous works were inspired by other real-life women artists and writers. These included Violette Leduc, Emily Carr, and Anaïs Nin.

Jovette Marchessault's Career and Art

Jovette Marchessault was born in Montreal. When she was young, she worked in a textile factory. In the late 1950s, she traveled a lot. These travels helped her discover more about herself and shaped her future work.

By 1970, Jovette Marchessault was showing her art regularly. Her artwork was displayed in major cities like Montreal, Toronto, New York City, Paris, and Brussels.

Writing Novels and Plays

Jovette Marchessault published her first novel, Le Crachat solaire, in 1975. This book was the first part of her Comme une enfant de la terre series. The series also included the novels La Mère des herbes (1981) and Des Cailloux blancs pour les forêts obscures (1987).

She also wrote many plays. Some of her early plays were Les Vaches de nuit and Les Faiseuses d'anges. These were later published together in 1980.

Journalism and Teaching

Jovette Marchessault also worked as a journalist. She wrote for several publications, such as Le Devoir and Châtelaine. She also helped start a publishing company called Squawtach Press. Later, she taught in the theater department at the Université du Québec à Montréal.

Awards and Special Honors

Jovette Marchessault received important awards for her work. Her play La Terre est trop courte, Violette Leduc was nominated for the Governor General's Award for French-language drama in 1982. This is a very important award in Canada.

Her play Le Voyage magnifique d'Emily Carr won the Governor General's Award in 1990. This shows how much her writing was appreciated.

In 1993, she was honored by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec. This council supports arts and literature in Quebec. A portrait of Jovette Marchessault was painted by artist Robert Laliberté. This portrait is kept in The ArQuives: Canada's LGBTQ2+ Archives' National Portrait Collection. It honors her important role in building Canadian culture and history.

List of Works

Novels (The Comme une enfant de la terre trilogy)

Plays

Images for kids

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  Jovette Marchessault, a Canadian writer and artist.