Gaétan Soucy (October 21, 1958 – July 9, 2013) was a Canadian novelist and professor.
Life Born in Montreal, Quebec, Soucy studied physics at Université de Montréal, completed a master's degree in philosophy, and studied Japanese language and literature at McGill University.
Soucy wrote four novels. His first two, L'Immaculée conception (translated as The Immaculate Conception by Lazer Lederhendler) and L'Acquittement (translated as Atonement by Sheila Fischman) are extraordinary, dark and baroque works. His third novel, La petite fille qui aimait trop les allumettes (translated as The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches by Fischman) caused a sensation in Quebec and was immediately translated into more than ten languages. His fourth novel, Music-Hall!, was published in 2002, and translated as Vaudeville! by Fischman.
La petite fille qui aimait trop les allumettes was chosen for inclusion in the French version of Canada Reads, broadcast on Radio-Canada in 2004, where it was defended by actor, film director, screenwriter, and musician Micheline Lanctôt.
He died on 9 July 2013 in Montreal of a heart attack.
Bibliography L'Immaculée Conception (1994; published in France in 1998 as 8 décembre). The Immaculate Conception, trans. Lazer Lederhendler (2005) L'Acquittement (1997). Atonement, trans. Sheila Fischman (1999) La Petite Fille qui aimait trop les allumettes (1998). The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches, trans. Sheila Fischman (2000) Music-Hall ! (2002). Vaudeville!, trans. Sheila Fischman (2003)
Awards and honours 1998: Grand prix du livre de Montréal, for L'Acquittement 1999: Prix Ringuet, for La Petite Fille qui aimait trop les allumettes 1999: Prix du grand public du Salon du livre de Montréal - La Presse, for La Petite Fille qui aimait trop les allumettes 1999: Nominated for the Prix Renaudot, for La Petite Fille qui aimait trop les allumettes 2003: Prix des libraires du Québec, for Music-Hall ! 2003: Prix Jean-Hamelin (prix France-Québec), for Music-Hall ! 2003: Prix Nessim-Habif, Académie royale de langue et de littérature françaises de Belgique, for his body of work 2004: Médaille de l'Assemblée nationale 2006: Shortlisted for the Giller Prize, for The Immaculate Conception
References
External links Soucy, Gaétan at The Canadian Encyclopedia Critical bibliography database (Auteurs.contemporain.info)