Denise Boucher
Denise Boucher | |
|---|---|
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| Born | December 12, 1935 Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | March 18, 2025 (aged 89) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Occupation | Teacher, journalist, playwright, poet, lyricist |
| Language | Canadian French |
| Notable awards | Prix des lecteurs du Marché de la poésie de Montréal (2002), Prix Adagio (2015) |
Denise Boucher (December 12, 1935 – March 18, 2025) was a Canadian writer from Quebec.
Life and career
[edit]The daughter of Alexandre Boucher, police chief, and Justine Bélair,[1] she was born in Victoriaville, Quebec. She received a teaching certificate from the École normale Marguerite-Bourgeoys in Sherbrooke in 1953. She taught school in Victoriaville until 1961 when she began a career in journalism and broadcasting, moving to Montreal. She contributed to various newspapers and was a freelance journalist for Radio Canada. In 1978, she published the feminist work Cyprine: essai collage pour être une femme, which incorporates prose, poetry and quotations.[2][3]
In 1978, her noted feminist play Les fées ont soif was presented at the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde in Montreal. The play was met with strong opposition from the Catholic Church for its portrayal of the Virgin Mary. An English translation The Fairies are Thirsty was prepared by Alan Brown. Her play Les Divines was presented at the Théâtre d'Aujourd'hui in 1996.[2][4][5]
Her musical review Gémeaux croisées toured Quebec and France to sold-out audiences, featuring performances by Pauline Julien and Anne Sylvestre respectively and directed by Viviane Théophilidès.[5]
Her collections of poetry include Paris Polaroïd (1990) and Grandeur nature (1993).[4] She participated in numerous poetry festivals around the globe.
Boucher also wrote a rock opera Rose Ross (1983) and scripts for television and radio, as well as lyrics for popular songs[2] for singers including Dan Bigras, Pauline Julien, Gerry Boulet, Chloé Sainte-Marie and Louise Forestier.[6]
From 1998 to 2000, she was president of the Union des écrivaines et des écrivains québécois.[2]
Boucher died on March 18, 2025, at the age of 89.[7] A few weeks prior, she was admitted to the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal for respiratory problems. She had medical assistance in dying.[8]
Awards and honours
[edit]In 2002, she received the Prix des lecteurs du Marché de la poésie de Montréal.[9] In 2015, she was awarded the Prix Adagio.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ New, William H (2002). Encyclopedia of Literature in Canada. Springer. p. 143. ISBN 0802007619.
- ^ a b c d "Boucher, Denise". Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia.
- ^ "Fonds Denise Boucher" (in French). Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec.
- ^ a b "Denise Boucher (1935-) Écrivaine, poète". Bilan du siècle (in French). University of Sherbrooke.
- ^ a b Makward, Christiane P; Miller, Judith G (1994). Plays by French and Francophone Women: A Critical Anthology. University of Michigan Press. pp. 125–28. ISBN 0472082582.
- ^ a b "Le prix Adagio revient à Denise Boucher". Les libraires (in French). May 27, 2015.
- ^ "Celebrated Quebecois Writer Denise Boucher Passes Away At 89". The Pinnacle Gazette. 19 March 2025. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
- ^ "La femme de lettres qui avait soif d'émancipation". Retrieved March 19, 2025.
- ^ "Boucher, Denise" (in French). Infocentre littéraire des écrivains.
External Links
[edit]- Denise Boucher at IMDb
- Denise Boucher discography at Discogs
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1935 births
- 2025 deaths
- Journalists from Quebec
- Canadian women dramatists and playwrights
- Canadian women poets
- Canadian feminist writers
- People from Victoriaville
- Writers from Quebec
- 20th-century Canadian journalists
- 20th-century Canadian women journalists
- 20th-century Canadian non-fiction writers
- 20th-century Canadian poets
- 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights
- Canadian women non-fiction writers
- 20th-century Canadian women writers