Philippe Aubert de Gaspé (1786-1871) was a French-Canadian author whose historical novel, "Les Anciens Canadiens," is one of the earliest landmarks in French-Canadian literature.

Philippe Aubert de Gaspé was born on his family's seigniory at Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, on the southern shore of the St. Lawrence. The family manor had been burned down by British troops during the Seven Years War and reconstructed on a more modest scale, and this incident is transferred to the novel.

Educated and called to the bar (1813) in Quebec, Aubert de Gaspé had a career in law and public administration until 1834. His disdain for petty calculation, either in money or in friendship, led to bankruptcy and imprisonment from 1838 to 1841. He spent the next 30 years living modestly on the family estate.

Aubert de Gaspé was preceded as an author by his son, Philippe Ignace François, who has serious claims to...