Acadian novelist, playwright, and scholar Antonine Maillet passed away on 17 February 2025 at the age of 95 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, peacefully in her sleep due to natural causes.
She was in a relationship with theatre director and actress Mercedes Palomino, who passed away on April 18, 2006.
She completed a Bachelor of Arts from the Collège Notre-Dame d’Acadie in 1950. She also completed a Master of Arts from the Université de Moncton in 1959. She earned her PhD in literature in 1971 from Université Laval.
Initially, she worked in literature and folklore. She taught literature at Collège Notre-Dame d’Acadie from 1954 to 1960, the University of Moncton from 1965 to 1967, the Collège des Jésuites de Québec from 1968 to 1969, Université Laval from 1971 to 1974, and Université de Montréal from 1974 to 1975.
She also worked as a scriptwriter and host for Radio-Canada in Moncton. After gaining experience, she hosted the French-language Leaders’ Debate for Radio-Canada and moderated guest appearances by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, Liberal Party of Canada leader John Turner, and New Democratic Party leader Ed Broadbent.
She also served as chancellor of the Université de Moncton from 1989 to 2000. In 1980, she received the Lorne Pierce Medal from the Royal Society of Canada. In 1976, she became an Officer of the Order of Canada and was later promoted to Companion. From 1 July 1992, she was a member of the King’s Privy Council for Canada.
She won the Prix Goncourt in 1979 for her work Pélagie-la-Charrette. She was granted an Honorary Degree from RMC in 1995.
She was born on 10 May 1929 in Bouctouche, New Brunswick. She was one of nine children in her family. When she was 14 years old, her mother passed away, and her father passed away ten years later.
