With Réjean Ducharme, Roch Carrier, Marie-Claire Blais, Jean Basile, André Major, Jacques Benoit belongs to the generation of Quebec novelists whose first book, published in the 1960s, impressed readers with its originality and formal perfection. Jos Carbone (1967: English translation, 1974) received the Prix de la Province de Québec. Benoit's other four novels have confirmed his talent as an accomplished writer.

Benoit, the son of Jean-Marie Benoit, an immigration official, and Yvette Denault Benoit, was born in the small French-Canadian village of Saint-Jean. His childhood and his secondary education in Catholic schools seem to have left him with few happy memories. He studied literature at the University of Montreal and at McGill and taught briefly before becoming a journalist. He has worked for several Quebec newspapers--Le Petit Journal,La Patrie, and La Presse--as well as for Radio-Canada. His award-winning series of articles on...