Melvin Gallant

Youth and education , whose work is the subject of Melvin Gallant's doctoral thesis, defended in 1970. Melvin Gallant was born on May 24, 1932 - other sources mention 1933 - in Urbainville, in the Evangeline region of western Prince Edward Island, Canada. One of his ancestors is Michel Haché dit Gallant, the main character in his novel Le Métis de Beaubassin, published in 2009. The origin of the Gallant surname, originally an Acadian nickname for the ancestor, is not known, but Melvin invents one in his novel. Melvin was nicknamed the "Métis of Urbainville" because his ancestor was a Métis born of an Acadian father and an Aboriginal mother. After completing high school in Prince Edward Island, He then went to France, where he obtained a degree in political science from the University of Paris in 1960 and a Master of Arts from the Institut Catholique de Paris in 1964. His thesis was published the following year by Klincksieck, Paris. He was also chairman of the organizing committee for the Colloque international sur le thème de la mer in 1991. After retirement, he lived six months a year in Grand-Barachois, Beaubassin-Est, New Brunswick, and six months in the Dominican Republic. He was honorary president of the Salon du livre de Dieppe in 2001 and a member of the Board of Directors until 2005. == Writing ==

According to David Lonergan, Gallant's work is inseparable from the emergence of Acadian literature. His works are often the fruit of a desire for renewal in Acadian literature. Ti-Jean: contes acadiens In 1973, Gallant published Ti-Jean: contes acadiens with Éditions d'Acadie. While inspired by Acadian folklore, this collection of tales has a universal appeal. Aimed at ten- to fourteen-year-olds, it was the first in a series of publications centered on the eponymous character, In Acadian folklore, several tales feature a character usually called Ti-Jean, hired by a king to perform various tasks, making him a standard tale AT 1000 to 1029 in the Aarne-Thompson classification. He doesn't lapse into the picturesque like many other storytellers, and uses simple language and neutral writing, a little "gray" according to Alain Masson, contrasting with the mischievous character of the main character. He does, however, use superlatives. In fact, Acadian tales are similar to European tales in structure, but differ in detail. Daniel Long even compares Ti-Jean's tales to the Odyssey. and the most comprehensive to date. According to Jean Royer, the book is "not faked", and Natania Étienne believes it "goes beyond the picturesque". Set in Greece, its theme is the imprint of a wounded mad love. This is the first dictionary of Acadian authors In 1985, the Société historique acadienne published a new edition of Dière de Dièreville's account of his travels in Acadia from 1699 to 1670, with an introduction and annotations by Melvin Gallant. This text, while not very original, is, according to John A. Dickinson, a "very perceptive" account of Acadia at the turn of the eighteenth century. The author wanted to explore the traditional tale with a female character. In 2011, he wrote the tale Cendrillouse, Cendrillon acadienne, in the volume Cendrillon de quatre continents. New version of Ti-Jean Éditions d'Acadie closed its doors in 2000, creating a shortage of the two Ti-Jean collections. Le Métis de Beaubassin and À la conquête de l'île Saint-Jean , the setting for the novel Le Métis de Beaubassin (2009). In 2009, Gallant published Le Métis de Beaubassin, which he considers his best work. This novel, the result of three years of meticulous research, explores the history of the village of Beaubassin, founded in 1677; its main character is the author's ancestor, Michel Haché dit Gallant (1663–1737), who was the right-hand man of seigneur Michel Leneuf de La Vallière and of Beaubassin. The novel ends in 1720, when the main character, tired of being pursued by the English, travels with his family to Île Saint-Jean, now Prince Edward Island. Gallant's novel unveils "less well-known aspects of Acadian life," including power struggles, everyday challenges, dike maintenance, witchcraft accusations, and conflicts with the English. This is one of the few published accounts of Beaubassin, one of the three main towns in historic Acadia, along with Port-Royal and Grand-Pré. The novel is praised by Georges Arsenault, Prince Edward Island's leading Acadian historian. Gallant wrote a sequel, ''À la conquête de l'île Saint-Jean'', which was published in 2016. The action takes place between 1720 and the start of the Deportation of Île Saint-Jean, an episode in the Deportation of the Acadians, in 1758. == Awards ==

• 1983, Prix France-Acadie, for Le Chant des grenouilles • 1985, Chevalier de l'Ordre des Palmes académiques • 2006, Hackmatack Young People's Choice Award finalist, for Tite-Jeanne et la pomme d'or • 2007, Prix Hackmatack - le choix des jeunes, for Ti-Jean-le-brave • 2013, Lieutenant-Governor's Award for Excellence in French-language Literary Arts == Works ==

Tales • Melvin Gallant, "Bonnet Rouge", Écrits du Canada français, no. 38, 1974, pp. 124–134 • Melvin Gallant and Bernard Leblanc (illustrations), Ti-Jean, contes acadiens, Moncton, Éditions d'Acadie(repr. 1984, 1991) (1st ed. 1973), 248 p. (ISBN 978-2-7600-0183-1 and 2-7600-0183-0) • Melvin Gallant, Caprice à la campagne, Moncton, Éditions d'Acadie, 1982, 15 p. (ISBN 2-7600-0081-8) • Melvin Gallant, Caprice en hiver, Moncton, Éditions d'Acadie, 1984, 16 p. (ISBN 2-7600-0109-1) • Melvin Gallant, Ti-Jean-le-fort: contes acadiens, Moncton, Éditions d'Acadie, 1991, 248 p.(ISBN 978-2-7600-0183-1) • Melvin Gallant and Denise Paquette (illustrations), Tite-Jeanne et le prince triste, Moncton, Bouton d'or Acadie, 1999, 41 p. (ISBN 2-922203-23-9) • Melvin Gallant and Denise Paquette (illustrations), ''Tite-Jeanne et la pomme d'or'', Moncton, Bouton d'or Acadie, 2000, 78 p. (ISBN 2-922203-30-1) • Melvin Gallant, Patrick l'Internaute, Montréal, Chenelière Éducation, 2003, 55 p. (ISBN 2-89461-776-3) Melvin Gallant and Denise Paquette (illustrations), Tite-Jeanne et le prince Igor, Moncton, Bouton d'or Acadie, 2004, 71 p. (ISBN 2-922203-56-5) • Melvin Gallant and Michel Duguay (illustrations), Ti-Jean-le-Brave, Moncton, Bouton d'or Acadie, 2005, 187 p.(ISBN 2-922203-91-3) • Melvin Gallant and Michel Duguay (illustrations), Ti-Jean-le-Rusé, Moncton, Bouton d'or Acadie, 2006, 217 p.(ISBN 2-923518-06-3) • Melvin Gallant and Michel Duguay (illustrations), ''Ti-Jean-l'Intrépide'', Moncton, Bouton d'or Acadie, 2007, 237 p.(ISBN 978-2-923518-22-0) • Melvin Gallant, ''Ti-Jean-Tête-D'Or,'' Moncton, Bouton d'or Acadie, 2010, 198 p. (ISBN 978-2-923518-65-7) • Melvin Gallant, "Cendrillouse, Cendrillon acadienne", in collective, Cendrillon de quatre continents, Moncton, Bouton d'or Acadie, 2011 (ISBN 978-2-923518-82-4) Poems • Melvin Gallant, ''L'Été insulaire: chant littéraire'', Moncton, Éditions d'Acadie, 1982, 39 p. (ISBN 2-7600-0075-3) • Melvin Gallant, "Variation saisonnières du pays, poèmes", Intervention à haute voix, no. 9, 1983, p. 24-32 Novels • Melvin Gallant, Le Chant des grenouilles: roman, Moncton, Éditions d'Acadie, 1982, 157 p. (ISBN 2-7600-0083-4) • Melvin Gallant, ''Le Complexe d'Évangéline: roman'', Lévis, Éditions de la Francophonie, 2001, 241 p.(ISBN 2-9807136-0-0) • Melvin Gallant, Le Métis de Beaubassin: roman historique, Lévis, Éditions de la Francophonie, 2009, 328 p.(ISBN 978-2-89627-192-4) • Melvin Gallant, ''À la conquête de l'île Saint-Jean'', Tracadie, La Grande marée, 2016, 213 p.(ISBN 978-2-349-72349-9) News • Melvin Gallant, "Le trou blanc", Éloizes, no. 1, Spring 1980 (ISSN 0228-0124) Documentaries, manuals and theses • Melvin Gallant, Initiation à la dissertation, Moncton, Librairie acadienne, Université de Moncton, 1966, 49 p. • Melvin Gallant, Le Thème de la mort chez Roger Martin Du Gard, Paris, Klincksieck, 1971, 299 p. • Marielle Cormier Boudreau and Melvin Gallant, La Cuisine traditionnelle en Acadie: historique des traditions et coutumes culinaires chez les Acadiens du Nouveau-Brunswick, de la Nouvelle-Écosse, de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard et des Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Moncton, Éditions d'Acadie (repr. 1980, 1987) (1st ed. 1975), 181 p. • Melvin Gallant, Le Pays d'Acadie, Moncton, Éditions d'Acadie, 1980, 206 p. (ISBN 2-7600-0051-6) • Melvin Gallant and Ginette Gould, Portraits d'écrivains: dictionnaire des écrivains acadiens, Moncton, Éditions Perce-Neige, 1982, 180 p. (ISBN 2-7600-0071-0) • Melvin Gallant (dir.) et al., Les Maritimes: trois provinces à découvrir, Moncton, Éditions d'Acadie, 1987, 420 p.(ISBN 2-7600-0148-2) • Melvin Gallant (ed.), Mer et littérature: actes du Colloque international sur "La mer dans les littératures d'expression française du XXe siècle", Moncton, August 22–23–24, 1991, Moncton, Éditions d'Acadie, 1992, 352 p. (ISBN 2-7600-0217-9) • Marielle Cormier Boudreau and Melvin Gallant, La Cuisine traditionnelle en Acadie: historique des traditions et coutumes culinaires chez les Acadiens du Nouveau-Brunswick, de la Nouvelle-Écosse, de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard et des Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Lévis, Éditions de la Francophonie, 2002, 181 p. (ISBN 2-923016-04-1) Articles and chapters • Melvin Gallant, "Gides et notre temps", La Revue neuchâtelloise, 1969, p. 18-21 • Melvin Gallant, "Le Nouveau Roman, position et perspectives", ''La Revue de l'Université de Moncton'', vol. 6, no. 2, May 1973, pp. 8–18 • Melvin Gallant, "La Sagouine et la société acadienne", ''Revue de l'Association canadienne d'éducation de langue française Québec'', vol. 2, no. 1, January 1973, p. 21-24 • Melvin Gallant, "L'enseignement de la littérature peut-il être scientifique", Propos littéraires, no. 7, 1973, p. 41-50 • Melvin Gallant, "Le discours obsessionnel dans " La Conversation entre hommes " d'Huguette Légaré", ''La Revue de l'Université de Moncton'', May 1974, p. 203-208 • Melvin Gallant, Marielle Boudreau and Marguerite Maillet, "L'Acadie", in Guide culturel, civilisations et littératures, vol. 4, Paris, Hachette, 1977, p. 286-297 • Melvin Gallant, "Saint-Denys Garneau et l'éblouissement de la nuit", in Le Lieu et la formule, Neuchâtel, La Baconnière, 1978, pp. 203–215 • Melvin Gallant, "Adieu P'tit Chippagan", réminiscences poétiques de l'Ancienne Acadie", Si Que, no. 4, June 1979, p. 193-200 • Melvin Gallant, "À l'abordage", Égalité, no. 1, fall 1980 • Melvin Gallant, "Introduction à la littérature acadienne", Bibliographie acadienne, March 1981, p. 7-12 • Melvin Gallant, "Notre droit à la différence", Bulletin de la Bibliothèque nationale du Québec, November 1981 • Melvin Gallant, "Les romanciers acadiens et le retour aux sources", ''La Revue d'Histoire littéraire du Québec'', no. 3, winter-spring 1982, pp. 106–112 • Melvin Gallant, "Pour un plan d'urbanisation acadien", Égalité, Spring 1982, pp. 123–130 • Melvin Gallant and Samuel Arsenault (contributor), "Pour une refonte des cartes électorales fédérales et provinciales du N.-B.", Égalité, Winter 1983, p. 15-32 • Melvin Gallant, "Du mythe à la réalité: évolution du roman acadien", Incidences, Fall 1984, p. 24-32 • Melvin Gallant, "L'Acadie colonisatrice et colonisée", ''Les Publications de l'Université de Toulouse'', Fall 1984 • Melvin Gallant, "Épopée, fantaisie et symbole dans Don l'Orignal", in Québec Studies, vol. 4, 1986, p. 286-297 • Melvin Gallant, "Évolution de la littérature acadienne", Vie française, 1987 == References ==