Marie-Christine Lévesque
Canadian author (1958–2020)
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Marie-Christine Lévesque (1958 – 16 July 2020) was a Canadian art director,[1] author and editor.[3][4][5] As an art director she won the 2005 Applied Arts Award for the cover design of 9 Vues.[1] Her partner was Serge Bouchard[6] and she co-authored books with him including Elles ont fait l’Amérique : De remarquables oubliés, tome 1 and Le peuple rieur. Hommage à mes amis innus, the latter of which won the 2018 Le Prix Victor-Barbeau award.[2] Her writings explored the lives of North American people from the 16th century to the 19th century[7] and the Innu people.[6]
- —Elles ont fait l’Amérique : De remarquables oubliés, tome 1,
- —Le peuple rieur. Hommage à mes amis innus
Marie-Christine Lévesque | |
|---|---|
Lévesque at the 2017 Salon du livre de Montréal | |
| Born | 1958 |
| Died | 16 July 2020 (aged 61–62) |
| Occupations | Writer and editor |
| Notable work |
|
| Spouse | Serge Bouchard |
| Awards |
|
Early life
Lévesque is the daughter of Gérard D. Levesque and Denyse Lefort.[3] She grew up beside an indigenous reserve but was raised to be scared of this group of people.[5]
Professional career
Lévesque started her career as an advertising designer[4] and worked as an art director for book jackets.[1] She received the 2005 Applied Arts Award for the cover design of 9 Vues, a book presenting the engravings of Louise Masson that accompanied the poetry of Daniel Danis.[1] She also received a 2005 Applied Arts Award as the art director for Peau/Parfum/Noire.[8]
Lévesque worked as an editor before committing to writing full-time.[4] In 2011 Lévesque co-wrote Elles ont fait l’Amérique : De remarquables oubliés, tome 1 with her husband Serge Bouchard. The book is a compilation of 15 biographies of women in North America who are not popularly known about[9] and inspired by an Ici Radio-Canada Première radio show called De remarquables oubliés.[10] In 2012, Lévesque's husband Serge Bouchard was invited by the Essipit Band Council to write the history of the Innu people and Lévesque accompanied her husband to co-write and edit the work. While with the Innu people she was inspired by her husband to appreciate the Indigenous community and the nature around them.[5] The writings were released as an essay in 2017 called Le peuple rieur. Hommage à mes amis innus[6] and received the Le Prix Victor-Barbeau award.[2][11] It was also the 27th bestselling book in Quebec independent bookstores in 2018.[12]
Personal life and death
Lévesque adopted a child from China with her partner Serge Bouchard in 2003.[13] She had a daughter named Lou.[4] Lévesque died on 16 July 2020 of brain cancer.[4] At the time of her death she was preparing to publish a poetry collection.[5]
Writing style
In describing her writing style, Lévesque said, "I am literary, minimalist."[a][5] When describing Elles ont fait l'Amérique, Laurence Clerfeuille said the writing was, "Dense, meticulous, sometimes moving, the stories skillfully combine romantic and socio-historical elements."[b] However, "A reader not accustomed to the historical context may perhaps get lost at times in certain incidental information."[c][7] Michel Lapierre of Le Devoir, when describing Ils ont couru l’Amérique, said that Lévesque and Serge Bouchard, "share an admirable talent for storytelling."[d][9]
Influence
In 2020 Alexandre Castonguay, Patrice Dubois and Soleil Launière created a theatrical show called Courir l'Amérique based on Lévesque's books Elles ont fait l’Amérique and Ils ont couru l’Amérique. The artists toured their production across Canada.[14][15]
List of works
Co-written with Serge Bouchard
- Elles ont fait l’Amérique : De remarquables oubliés, tome 1 (They Made America: The Remarkable Forgotten, Volume 1) Montreal: Lux Éditeur, 2011.[7]
- Les images que nous sommes : 60 ans de cinéma québécois (The Images that we are: 60 Years of Quebec Cinema) Montreal: Éditions de l'Homme, 2013.[13]
- Ils ont couru l’Amérique : De remarquables oubliés, tome 2 (They Ran America: The Remarkable Forgotten, Volume 2) Montreal: Lux Éditeur, 2014[13]
- Le peuple rieur. Hommage à mes amis innus (The Laughing People. Tribute to my Innu Friends) Montreal: Lux Éditeur, 2017.[13]
Notes
- Original quote, in French: "Je suis littéraire, minimaliste."
- Original quote, in French: "Denses, minutieux, émouvants parfois, les récits allient habilement éléments romanesques et socio-historiques."
- Original quote, in French: "Un lecteur non accoutumé au contexte historique pourra peut-être s'égarer parfois dans certaines informations accessoires"
- Original quote, in French: "partageant un admirable talent de conteur"