author
Philippe Aubert de Gaspé
1814–1841
Best known for the vivid early Canadian novel L'influence d'un livre, this French-Canadian writer helped shape Quebec literature before his life was cut short in 1841. He also wrote Le chercheur de trésors, a title by which the novel later became widely known.
1 Audiobook
L'influence d'un livre: Roman historique
by Philippe Aubert de Gaspé
About the author
Philippe-Ignace-François Aubert de Gaspé, often called Philippe Aubert de Gaspé, son, was a French-Canadian lawyer and writer born in 1814 and dead by 1841. He is remembered as one of the early novelists of French Canada.
His best-known book, L'influence d'un livre (1837), is widely regarded as the first French-Canadian novel. Later editions appeared under the title Le chercheur de trésors, and the book is still noted for its mix of local life, folklore, satire, and Gothic touches.
He was the son of Philippe-Ignace-François Aubert de Gaspé, the author of Les Anciens Canadiens. Although he died young, his place in literary history has lasted because his fiction stands near the beginning of the French-Canadian novel tradition.