Philippe Aubert de Gaspé

Born in 1814, Philippe-Ignace François Aubert de Gaspé — often referred to simply as Philippe Aubert de Gaspé — was a Canadian writer from Quebec. He is generally credited with writing L'influence d'un livre (1837), a book widely recognized as the first French-Canadian novel.

Although his life was brief, ending in 1841, his place in literary history has lasted. He is remembered less for a large body of work than for opening an early path for French-language fiction in Canada at a time when that tradition was still taking shape.

He is also associated with the Aubert de Gaspé family, a notable name in Quebec literary history. Because surviving biographical details are limited in the sources found here, the clearest picture is of a young writer whose early novel earned a lasting place in Canadian literature.