Louis Hémon

Louis Hémon was a French writer best known for his novel Maria Chapdelaine.

Hémon was born in Brest, France. He was enrolled in the Montaigne and Louis-le-Grand secondary schools in Paris, where he resided with his family. A bilingual secretary in several maritime agencies, he collaborated, starting from 1904, in a Parisian sports journal. After his studies of law and oriental languages in the Sorbonne, he moved to London.

In 1911, he moved to Canada, settling initially in Montreal. Hémon wrote Maria Chapdelaine during his time working at a farm in the Lac Saint-Jean region.

Hémon died July 8, 1913 when he was struck by a train at Chapleau, Ontario. He never saw the widespread publication of his landmark novel.