The Quebec diplomat and poet Émile Martel, born in 1941 in Amos, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, has died. In a press release published Thursday, the Académie des lettres du Québec highlighted the departure of a “man of conviction”, who was at the head of the institution from 2012 to 2022.
“We salute him as a great academician, a man of conviction and an important poet. All our thoughts are with his loved ones,” said the current president of the Académie des lettres du Québec, Gérald Gaudet. The latter maintained that Mr. Martel’s fervor and determination were invaluable in difficult times.
Émile Martel, who lived in Montreal and Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, was named an officer of the Order of Canada in 2017. During his career, he published around twenty works of poetry and fiction. In 1995, he notably won the Governor General of Canada’s Prize for French-language poetry with his work For orchestra and solo poet.
From 1967 to 1999, Mr. Martel was also a diplomat for the Canadian government, which posted him in Central America, Mexico, Madrid and Paris.
The man who was a professor of Spanish and French language and literature in the United States and British Columbia also translated several books into French in collaboration with Nicole Perron-Martel, including the novel Pi’s storywritten by their son Yann Martel.
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