Louis J. Haché
Categories: Male Authors - Francophone Authors - Novelists - Acadian Coast
Biography
I was born in Saint-Isidore on May 3, 1924. We had no high school there, so I went to Collège de Bathurst and Collège de Memramcook, where I completed high school and the classical education program for a Bachelor of Arts degree; I also obtained a Bachelor of Education degree in 1951.
How has New Brunswick influenced your work?
La Revue d’histoire de la Société Historique Nicolas-Denys, founded in 1970 in Shippagan, reported on the economic and social development of the Acadian Peninsula. For me, it was the gateway to a source of inspiration.
My first five books, published by Éditions d’Acadie, are wholly inspired by the islands of Lamèque and Miscou. Charmante Miscou Island describes the ferry crossings from Miscou to Shippagan, herring and lobster fishing, hunting for Canada geese, and happy people. Adieu, p’tit Chipagan is a novel of the joys and sorrows of two pioneer families, one Acadian and one Scottish. François and Jane love each other, but their parents do not approve of the match. A drama of the sea arises, inspired by an event that took place in Petit-Shippagan in 1820.
The theme of mixed marriages originates from the hundreds of unions between Smiths and Arseneau. Tourbes jersiaises portrays the relationship between the Acadians and the Jersey fish merchants in the Lamèque and Caraquet areas. Then there is Le grand môme, stories drawn from the folklore of Acadian Peninsula parishes. The novel Un cortège d’anguilles is entirely devoted to the struggle of the Lamèque cod fishermen to establish a cooperative under the nose of the Jersey merchants: it was inspired by conversations and interviews with fishermen on the Bay of Chaleur.
La tracadienne features personalities from the time when Tracadie was developing along with the lumber industry. The trilogy À la recherche de la gâgne, published by Les Éditions de la Francophonie, is based on facts and individuals gleaned from the history of a number of Acadian Peninsula parishes. Volume 1, La tracadienne, focuses on a woman celebrated for her business acumen; volume 2, Le desservant de Charnissey, features a priest renowned for his faith in the power of trade to found parishes; and in volume 3, La maîtresse d’école, an enterprising teacher is a sort of conclusion to the characters who made up the first two volumes.
What do you consider to be the highlight of your career so far?
For me, the five literary prizes I have earned are the crowning of my efforts as a professor of French grammar and composition, and as an apprentice in these subjects, as we are apprentices throughout our lives.
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Literary Prizes |
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| Plume d’Or - 2008 | |
| Prix Champlain - 2004 | |
| Prix France-Acadie - 1979 | |
| Prix L’Acadie entre les lignes from Radio-Canada |
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Featured Publication |
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De Tracadie à Tilley Road (2009) |
Excerpt: Première cadette de l’Armée du Canada : un titre certainement bien mérité! Du bénévolat à 100%, du sport scolaire, des fonctions à l’école, de très hautes notes. Rien d’étonnant chez une jeune fille qui tient ses origines de Tilley Road, le patelin le plus lively de la paroisse de Saint-Isidore. Nous ne nous connaissons pas, mais nous admettrons après la lecture de ces pages que nous avons eu tous deux raisons d’être charmés par ce coin de pays. C’est un amateur d’histoire qui te le dit. |
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Find this author in the New Brunswick public libraries catalogue.
Source(s): Author
