Background

Jacques Languirand was born on May 1, 1931, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada to the family of Clement Languirand and Marguerite-Marie Leblanc. His birth name is Jacques Dandurand.

Education

Jacques Languirand studied at College Saint-Laurent and College of Sainte-Croix in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Career

Unhappy with the political climate in his native country, Jacques Languirand fled to Paris when he was eighteen. As a reporter for the French national broadcast network Radiodiffusion française (RDF) he interviewed such celebrities as André Breton, Paul Claudel, Jean Cocteau, and André Malraux. Several of his plays were dramatized on the radio before they were performed on stage.

Returning to Montreal in the late 1950s, he made his television debut as a writer, host, and reporter for various news, public affairs, arts, and education programs. His colleagues included René Lévesque, Judith Jasmin, Pierre Nadeau, and Michèle Tisseyre. Languirand established Le Theatre de Dix Heures, producing the plays of others in addition to his own.

Jacques Languirand was a prominent figure in Canadian broadcasting for over five decades. He hosted Par 4 chemins, broadcast on Radio-Canada's La Première Chaîne.

A prolific writer, Languirand has published numerous essays, novels, educational books, and plays. His most recent play, Faust et les Radicaux libres, won a special distinction at the 2001 Onassis International Cultural Competition in Athens, Greece.

In addition to promoting public awareness of environmental issues and acting as Quebec's spokesperson for Earth Day, this passionate and he narrated the Télé-Québec documentary series Les Artisans du rebut global.

Jacques Languirand died of Alzheimer's disease on January 26, 2018, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Achievements

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  In the 1950s and 1960s, Jacques Languirand was Canada's most important exponent of the theatre of the absurd. He managed to achieve the status of an iconic French-speaking Canadian media and theatre figure. His awards and honors include Officer of the Order of Canada; the Prix Georges-émile-Lapalme awarded by the Government of Quebec for his contribution to the promotion of the French language; Radio-Canada's Prix du vice-présiden for lifetime career achievement; Chevalier de l'Ordre national du Québec; honorary doctorate from McGill University. In June 2006 he was admitted to Quebec's prestigious Cercle des Phénix for his outstanding contribution to environmental causes.

Works

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• book

  • L'héritage spirituel amérindien: Le grand mystère

    (This book is an invitation to travel in spiritual territo...)

    2010
  • Mater Materia

    (Jacques Languirand proposes to reconsider the concept of ...)

    2017
  • Le Dieu cosmique : A la recherche du Dieu d'Einstein

    (This book is an extension of a radio series hosted by Jac...)

    2008
  • Presque Tout Languirand 2001
  • Le Journal de Prospero: Les Voyages de Languirand 1998
  • Vivre Sa Vie 1979
  • Devenez un acteur de changements: Plaidoyer pour un engagement citoyen ! 2015

Views

Jacques Languirand was an environmentalist, becoming a spokesperson for Earth Day and the Québec Vert Kyoto coalition against greenhouse gas emissions.

Connections

Jacques Languirand was married to Yolande Delacroix-Pelletier. Languirand is the father of Pascal Languirand, singer of the group Trans-X and Martine Languirand.

Father:

Clement Languirand

Mother:

Marguerite-Marie Leblanc

ex-wife:

Yolande Delacroix-Pelletier

Son:

Pascal Languirand

Daughter:

Pascal Languirand,

Partner:

Nicole Dumais

References

• Contemporary Authors, Vol. 166 This volume of Contemporary Authors contains biographical information on approximately 300 modern writers.
  1998
• Jacques Languirand: Biographie
  1998
• Jacques Languirand : le Cinquième Chemin
  2014