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Alice Parizeau
Encyclopedia
Alice Parizeau, OC
(née Alicja Poznańska) (25 Jul 1930 - 30 Sep 1990) was a Polish
-Canadian
writer, essayist, journalist and criminologist.
), Poland
, as a young girl Poznańska was associated with the Polish Home Army during the 1944 Warsaw Uprising
during World War II
, which led to her internment in the Bergen-Belsen
prisoner of war camp and her receipt of a war medal following the war. Despite the Catholic-Polish family name with which she is associated, her affiliation with the Polish Home Army, and her connection with the Catholic rite while living in Quebec
, her father, a wealthy industrialist, is thought to have been killed in a concentration camp during the war.
Following the war Poznańska went to Paris
to study at the Sorbonne
, earning degrees in literature, law and political science. In 1955 she visited a friend from the Sorbonne in Quebec, where she accepted a short contract which would turn into a life-long stay. She married economist and politician Jacques Parizeau
the following year.
, La Presse
, Châtelaine
, Le Devoir
, La Patrie
and Maclean's
— Parizeau held a number of other positions. These included civil servant with the City of Montreal
, researcher for Société Radio-Canada and, most notably, criminology researcher lecturer and secretary-general of the Centre international de criminologie comparée at the Université de Montréal
, where she served for many years as the de facto assistant director to Denis Szabo, founder of modern criminology in Quebec.
Parizeau's writing was known for its outstanding storytelling and sensitive treatment of themes relating both to the Quebec people, which she portrayed in romantic terms congruent with the sovereignty movement's ideals, and life in and exile from Poland. She won the Prix européen de l'Association des écrivains de langue française in 1982 for her novel Les lilas fleurissent à Varsovie (translated as The Lilacs are Blooming in Warsaw). In 1987, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
. Many members of the Quebec sovereignty movement
, including the press, criticised her for accepting an honour from the Governor General of Canada
.
, Quebec were named in her honour.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(née Alicja Poznańska) (25 Jul 1930 - 30 Sep 1990) was a Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
-Canadian
French-speaking Quebecer
French-speaking Quebecers are francophone residents of the Canadian province of Quebec....
writer, essayist, journalist and criminologist.
Early life
Born in Łuniniec (near KrakówKraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
), Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, as a young girl Poznańska was associated with the Polish Home Army during the 1944 Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, which led to her internment in the Bergen-Belsen
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
Bergen-Belsen was a Nazi concentration camp in Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle...
prisoner of war camp and her receipt of a war medal following the war. Despite the Catholic-Polish family name with which she is associated, her affiliation with the Polish Home Army, and her connection with the Catholic rite while living in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, her father, a wealthy industrialist, is thought to have been killed in a concentration camp during the war.
Following the war Poznańska went to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to study at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
, earning degrees in literature, law and political science. In 1955 she visited a friend from the Sorbonne in Quebec, where she accepted a short contract which would turn into a life-long stay. She married economist and politician Jacques Parizeau
Jacques Parizeau
Jacques Parizeau, is an economist and noted Quebec sovereignist who was the 26th Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from September 26, 1994 to January 29, 1996.-Early life and career:...
the following year.
Quebec
As a Quebecer, Parizeau was strongly associated with Montreal's intellectual and sovereigntist scenes, respectively. While best known as a novelist and journalist — she wrote for Cité libreCité Libre
Cité Libre was an influential political journal published in Quebec, Canada, through the 1950s and 1960s. Co-founded in 1950 by editor and future Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Trudeau, the publication served as an organ of opposition to the conservative and authoritarian government of Maurice...
, La Presse
La Presse (Canada)
La Presse, founded in 1884, is a French-language Monday-Saturday newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is owned today by Groupe Gesca, a subsidiary of Power Corporation of Canada. The Sunday version was dropped in 2009.-Description:...
, Châtelaine
Châtelaine
Châtelaine is a French-language magazine of women's lifestyles, published monthly in Quebec by Rogers Media, Inc., a division of Rogers Communications, Inc. It was first published in 1960 by Maclean Publishing. The magazine covers issues and interests of real concern to women, including food,...
, Le Devoir
Le Devoir
Le Devoir is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and the rest of Canada. It was founded by journalist, politician, and nationalist Henri Bourassa in 1910....
, La Patrie
La Patrie
La Patrie was a Montreal, Quebec daily newspaper founded by Honoré Beaugrand on February 24, 1879. It became a weekly in 1957 and folded in 1978....
and Maclean's
Maclean's
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...
— Parizeau held a number of other positions. These included civil servant with the City of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, researcher for Société Radio-Canada and, most notably, criminology researcher lecturer and secretary-general of the Centre international de criminologie comparée at the Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
, where she served for many years as the de facto assistant director to Denis Szabo, founder of modern criminology in Quebec.
Parizeau's writing was known for its outstanding storytelling and sensitive treatment of themes relating both to the Quebec people, which she portrayed in romantic terms congruent with the sovereignty movement's ideals, and life in and exile from Poland. She won the Prix européen de l'Association des écrivains de langue française in 1982 for her novel Les lilas fleurissent à Varsovie (translated as The Lilacs are Blooming in Warsaw). In 1987, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
. Many members of the Quebec sovereignty movement
Quebec sovereignty movement
The Quebec sovereignty movement refers to both the political movement and the ideology of values, concepts and ideas that promote the secession of the province of Quebec from the rest of Canada...
, including the press, criticised her for accepting an honour from the Governor General of Canada
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
.
Memorials
In 1990, Parizeau died of cancer in Outremont, Quebec, leaving her husband, Jacques, and two children, Isabelle, a lawyer, and Bernard, a doctor. The École Alice Parizeau in Montreal and the Bibliothèque Alice-Parizeau in Saint-EspritSaint-Esprit, Quebec
Saint-Esprit is a municipality in the Lanaudière region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Montcalm Regional County Municipality. It is located on both banks of the Saint-Esprit River, a tributary of the L'Assomption River.-History:...
, Quebec were named in her honour.
External links
Jean-Marie Tremblay, "Alice Poznanska-Parizeau [1930-1990]", in Les Classiques des sciences sociales (several works online)See also
- Culture of QuebecCulture of QuebecThe Culture of Quebec emerged over the last few hundred years, resulting from the shared history of the French-speaking majority in Quebec. It is unique to the Western World; Quebec is the only region in North America with a French-speaking majority, as well as one of only two provinces in Canada...
- List of Quebec authors
- Literature of Quebec