April 9, 2015 – The Prix Champlain 2015 awards ceremony was held last night during the Salon international du livre de Québec. Thierry Bissonnette, professor in the Department of French Studies at Laurentian University, received the renowned award in the creative/fiction category under his pen name – Thierry Dimanche – for his book entitled Le milieu de partout, published by Prise de parole. Thierry Dimanche joins the ranks of Patrice Desbiens, Zachary Richard, Jean-Marc Dalpé and others who have received the Prix Champlain.
“While I’m particularly sympathetic toward Étienne Brûlé, our most memorable bad boy and controversial Franco-Ontarian prototype, I am very happy that Samuel de Champlain’s name is connected to this recognition, given that we’re celebrating this year the 400th anniversary of his presence in Huronia,” explained Thierry Dimanche. “The book represents for me a renewed fellowship with Sudbury and its surroundings, where the phenomenon of life just may have begun on our planet, and where I know, for certain, that my own life has been transformed many times over.”
The dean of the Faculty of Arts at Laurentian University, Elizabeth Dawes, added that: “Laurentian University once again sets itself apart thanks to our excellent faculty who reach far beyond the borders of our province or country. Year after year, our students benefit from the expertise and enviable reputation of experienced professors such as Thierry Bissonnette, who we applaud for receiving this prestigious award.”
About the Prix Champlain
Created in 1956 by the Conseil de la vie française en Amérique to encourage literary production among Francophones living outside of Quebec in North America, the Prix Champlain also aims to spark the interest of Québécois in other Francophones of America. The Prix Champlain is awarded each year to recognize the best works written in French in the two following categories: academic works considered “scholarly” (collection of papers, study or essay in the field of human sciences) and creative works (novel, fiction, collection of poems, short stories or plays, biography, children or youth literature).