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Born in 1939, Marie-Claire Blais has been a commanding presence on the Canadian literary scene for the past 50 years.

Having published more than twenty novels in both Quebec and France – all of which having been translated into English – she is appreciated by Francophones and Anglophones alike. A reclusive artist who shuns the spotlight, Marie-Claire Blais is surrounded by an aura of mystery. Fragile, exquisitely sensitive, she keenly draws out her characters’ darkest secrets, digging deep into the human heart to discover the light within. Marie-Claire Blais: Illuminations offers a privileged glimpse in the work and life of the writer. Writers Margaret Atwood and Antonine Maillet, playwright Jacques Crête, critic Marie Couillard and many other artists testify to the power of her work and its enduring relevance and reveal the more personal and socially committed aspects of her personality. Marie-Claire Blais speaks of her writing, from her first work, La Belle Bête (trans. Mad Shadows), through her latest, Augustino ou le choeur de la destruction (trans. Augustino and the Choir of Destruction).