author
Madame (Joséphine) Dandurand
1862–1925
A pioneering Quebec writer and editor, she helped create one of the first magazines in French Canada written especially for women. Her work blended literary ambition with a practical, energetic commitment to women's education and public life.
1 Audiobook
Contes de Noël par Josette
by Madame (Joséphine) Dandurand
About the author
Born Joséphine Marchand in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu in 1861, she became known after her marriage as Joséphine Marchand-Dandurand, or Madame Dandurand. She was the daughter of Félix-Gabriel Marchand, who later served as premier of Quebec, and she built a public career of her own as a journalist, playwright, lecturer, and feminist activist.
She is especially remembered for founding Le Coin du feu in the 1890s, a magazine created for women readers in French Canada. Alongside her editorial work, she wrote plays and essays and took part in reform movements that supported women's education, access to professions, and stronger legal rights for married women.
Her writing and activism made her an important voice in Quebec cultural life at a time when women had limited space in public debate. She died in Montreal in 1925, but she remains an early and influential figure in Canadian women's journalism and literature.