Writer and historian Michelin Lachans has died

Laila Malouf
Press

“Michelin has been part of the Quebec American family for a long time, so for us it was a shock, a big shock, a big loss. Personally, this is a role model for me, Michelin, so I was a little upset, ”said Carolyn Fortin, Director General of Quebec America. “Michelin is the forerunner of the historical novel Julie Papino novel. ⁇

Michelin Lachans has won numerous literary and journalistic awards in her career. Journalist at NewsAuthor of an article and biography of Brother Andre, editor-in-chief of her journal Chateline 1989 to 1994

She then quit her job and devoted herself to writing Novel by Julie Papino, One of the greatest hits in Quebec literature, was published in 1995 and has sold hundreds of thousands of copies. This was followed by the publication of historical novels in which women are often drawn from the shadows (Fallen girls, Lady Cartier, Papino Saga, Ru des Reports) In 2021, she last published a personal novel, Do not arouse the grief of sleepingInspired by her job as a journalist in the 1980s.

Melanie Thivirge, Senior Director of Strategic Development PressMichelin Lachans knew early in her career, when she worked as a magazine editor Close your eyes, Woman more And Today’s girls. She recalled a woman who was “very cultured, generous, but [également] “Tough.” Years later, she recalled seeing on her desk where her next novel took place, so that she could reliably recapture the journey of her characters and the atmosphere of the places in her descriptions.

Her great friend is Monique Roy, a literary columnist Chateline, A tribute published online on Thursday named a woman with “beliefs, obedience, respect”, as well as “great moral elegance”. “Others say she was a journalist, an accurate historian, and a great writer who was involved in her community. I just want to be here to remember my dear friend and thank her for enriching my life, ”she wrote.

Heartfelt historian

Michelin Lachans shared her life with Rene Lewesk and Daniel Johnson senior biographer Pierre Godin. In an interview with the Paz lecture site, she described her husband as his mentor and his “most brutal, most critical reader.”

“In the evening, we had dinner with our characters. Papino and Lewesk, I tell you, they are so well put together, those two! And we can say anything. When I wrote my first volume on Julie Papino, it’s scary to see what he wrote to me in the margin: “Here, she looks like a pretty pie.” I cried a lot! And Rene Lewesk‌’s second volume, which is too long, did not make sense: I think I should have removed 150 pages, “she told the magazine. Booksellers In 2008

During an interview NewsFor publication Lady Cartier (In 2004), Michelin Lachance acknowledges that she lived “in fear of anachronism”, which is why the research phase in her writings is so important. She claims to have “found her way” in the historical novel. “I’m loved to live to be 19 years old^And For a century, I’m been very happy to tell stories and keep myself in the shoes of my characters, “she said.

After writing it specifically Novel by Julie Papino And Lady Cartier She felt the need to question herself Press In 2008, it prompted her to return to university to pursue a master’s degree in history.

“For me, the great merit of historical novels is that they make people want to know more, to light the torch of history. So you need solid historical and archival research. If the wires are hanging down, people will feel it, ”she said Press In 2017, when published Rue des Remparts.

“Putting women at the forefront of my novels is a political and feminist gesture. Women, in our history, have been very influential, but this fact is largely unknown, “said Michelin Lachans in an interview with The Show. Big discussionsIn 2018.

The Society Historic de Montreal awarded him a medal in 2017 for his contribution to history.

Culture Minister Nathalie Roy wrote on Twitter that “Quebec has lost a great culture.” “I remember every place she worked, especially in her novels and the place she gave women as editor-in-chief. Chateline “, She published.