A funeral was held Saturday for Antonine Maillet, with songs and theatrical performances highlighting a celebration of the lifetime of the famend Acadian playwright and creator.
It was a full home at Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption Cathedral in Moncton have been folks lined up two hours earlier than Maillet’s ashes have been introduced into the historic church.
Quite a few dignitaries together with New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt and Public Safety Minister Robert Gauvin, a former actor from the area, attended the occasion.
Maillet died at her Montreal dwelling on Feb. 17 on the age of 95.
The funeral for Antonine Maillet was held on the Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l’Assompition in Moncton, N.B., Saturday, April 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ron Ward.
The Canadian Press
Born in New Brunswick, she grew to become the primary Canadian author to obtain the distinguished French literary award Prix Goncourt in 1979 for her novel “Pélagie-la-Charette.” All through her profession her work was deeply impressed by the historical past, language, folklore and traditions of the Acadian folks, with greater than 20 novels and 12 performs to her title.
Her play “La Sagouine,” first carried out in 1971 with Viola Léger within the title position, was a large success, serving to instil pleasure in Acadians and contributing to a cultural revival. “Pélagie-la-Charette,” in the meantime, made her well-known in France, promoting greater than one million copies.
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“Many firsts illuminated Ms. Maillet’s life. Amongst them, she was the primary girl to imagine the position of Chancellor of the Université de Moncton,” stated New Brunswick Lt.-Gov. Louise Imbeault, including she carried out the position “with all of the conviction and panache for which she is understood.”
“Ms. Maillet, it’s a complete folks, as various as your characters, who salute you and say thanks,” Imbeault stated.
Singer Edith Butler, who was unable to attend the ceremony attributable to a live performance, gave a touching account in a video offered in the course of the ceremony.
“The final time I noticed her was for her ninety fifth celebration … She stood up straight, spoke for 20 minutes with out ever making a mistake. Her head was clear, she was nonetheless the little five-year-old lady,” she stated.
“Antonine, my instructor, my mentor, my buddy, have a superb journey,” Butler stated, her voice cracking.
“Thanks for the whole lot you’ve accomplished for Acadia, I really like you.”
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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