The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Marie-Claire Blais, celebrated French Canadian novelist, dies at 82

Literary critic Edmund Wilson, an early champion, called her “a writer in a class by herself.”

By
French Canadian author Marie-Claire Blais published her first novel, “La Belle Bête” (1959), at age 20. It was translated into English as “Mad Shadows.” (Jill Glessing)
6 min

Marie-Claire Blais, a French Canadian author who found wide acclaim with her brutally violent, verbally exuberant novels about suffering, rebellion, intimacy and family, died Nov. 30 in Key West, Fla. She was 82.

Her death was announced by the Goodwin Agency, which represented her but did not give a cause. Ms. Blais had split her time for many years between Florida and Quebec, where she was considered one of the province’s preeminent authors.