author
John Lespérance
1838–1891
A journalist, poet, and novelist who moved between French and English Canadian literary circles, he helped introduce French Canadian writing to wider audiences. His best-known novel, The Bastonnais, turns the American invasion of Canada in 1775–76 into vivid historical fiction.
1 Audiobook
The Bastonnais Tale of the American Invasion of Canada in 1775-76
by John Lespérance
About the author
Born in St. Louis and later active in Montreal, he built a varied career as an author, editor, journalist, and civil servant. He studied at St. Louis University and spent time preparing for the priesthood before turning toward journalism and literature.
After settling in Canada in the 1860s, he became an important go-between in the country’s literary life, especially by writing about French Canadian literature for English-speaking readers. He published poetry, essays, drama, and fiction, and in 1888 began using the name John Talon-Lesperance.
His most remembered work is The Bastonnais (1877), a historical novel about the 1775–76 invasion of Canada. He also wrote The Literature of French Canada, reflecting his lasting interest in making one tradition of Canadian writing more visible to another.