Among other publishing houses, Éditions Perce-Neige [fr] has distinguished itself in the field of poetry, while Bouton d'or Acadie has established a reputation for excellence in children's literature.
[3] In Memoirs (1716), Robert Charles [fr], a proponent of social justice and a visionary thinker, also denounced this situation, proposing a policy that would transform New France "into a kingdom as flourishing as old Europe.
[4] This text offers valuable insights into his disagreements with the lords of Port-Royal, the early struggles between France and England for dominance in North America, and the challenges and hopes of evangelizing the Indigenous peoples.
Abbé François Le Guerne [fr], the sole Catholic priest in British territory for two years, articulated the Acadians' resolute determination to remain in what had been, until that point, "a paradise on earth.
[7] Other letters, such as those from Mathurin Bourg and French Canadian missionaries, provide insight into the challenging work of priests, the poor living conditions, and the gradual reorganization of Acadian society.
This movement gained further impetus from many socio-political developments, including the Quiet Revolution in Quebec, Louis Robichaud's reforms in New Brunswick, student strikes, and the phenomenal success of La Sagouine by Antonine Maillet.
These years saw the release of the controversial "antilivre" L'étoile maganée by Herménégilde Chiasson and the Savoie brothers Jacques and Gilles, the launch of the leftist magazine L'Acayen, and the introduction of the inaugural course on Francophone Canadian literature at the University of Moncton by Marguerite Maillet [fr].
[12] The inaugural text published was Cri de terre by Raymond Guy LeBlanc, who served as the harbinger of a poetic tradition rooted in the land and reflective of the modern Acadian identity.
[13] In L'extrême frontière (1988), Gérald Leblanc attempted the initial synthesis of his poetic oeuvre, while Roméo Savoie connected painting and poetry in Trajets dispersés (1989).
[13] Encouraged by the success of Pélagie-la-charrette [fr], Antonine Maillet wrote other novels, including Cent ans dans les bois (1981), Crache à pic (1984), and Le Huitième Jour (1986); she also continued her theatrical work.
[14] Rose Després [fr] was the most important Acadian poet; in Gymnastique pour un soir d'anguilles (1996) and La Vie prodigieuse (2000), she struggled with language and its opacity, expressing her fears but transforming her pain into a nourishing strength.
[14] After fifteen years, Ulysse Landry [fr] published another collection, L'Espoir de te retrouver (1992), which presented a dark and pessimistic view of the world.
[14] Some authors continued to publish all or part of their work in Quebec, including Hélène Harbec, Martine L. Jacquot, Claude Le Bouthillier [fr], and Jacques Savoie.
[15] The last three major collections by Gérald Leblanc -Le Plus clair du temps (2001), Technose (2004) and Poèmes new-yorkais (2006)- evoke people and places from his everyday life, in search of simplicity and rhythm.
Seuils (2002) brings together the sequels to two collections published in 1992 but now out of print, Passage des glaces and Cycle de Prague, with unpublished texts, thus creating a link between the past and the present.
Jean-François Gaudet and Hugues Poirier created the collection Le tour du Québec en BD, and the third episode, entitled Les Aventures de Winnyfred: La Grande virée acadienne, was released in 2009.
[15] According to David Lonergan [fr], the most original texts are those of Georgette Leblanc, who uses the Acadian French of St. Marys Bay to create a poetic narrative, Alma, which won her the Antonine Maillet/Acadie Vie Literary Prize in 2007.
[15] His poems, published by Éditions David [fr], are gentle and simple, ranging from haiku (Mon île muette, 2001) to short forms (Partir comme jamais, 2005).
[15] Denise Paquette [fr] is primarily an illustrator, but she also writes her books (Quatre saisons dans les bois, 2007) and is the author of a touching children's novel, Annie a deux mamans (2003).
[8] Éditions Perce-Neige, also in New Brunswick, launched the "Acadie tropicale" collection, whose first title was Faire récolte by Zachary Richard, followed by Suite du loup by Jean Arceneaux and À cette heure, la louve by Debbie Clifton.
From the 1970s to the 2000s, Léonard Forest, Régis Brun, Michel Roy, Léon Thériault, Rino Morin Rossignol, Herménégilde Chiasson, Robert Pichette [fr], Jean-Marie Nadeau, and Claude Le Bouthillier, among others, left their mark on Acadian essay writing to varying degrees.
The 2000s saw a renewed proliferation of columnists in the press, with L'Acadie Nouvelle offering weekly columns to Rino Morin Rossignol from 2001 and to Claude Le Bouthillier and Jean-Marie Nadeau from 2005.
[19] The bicentenary of the deportation in 1955 inspired Father Laurent Tremblay, whose three historical dramas (Évangéline, L'Exploit de Madeleine and Un matin tragique) portray women who are initiative, resourceful, and combative, as opposed to the submissive and obedient heroines of the previous period, foreshadowing Antonine Maillet's characters.
"[21] Ten years before Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, he proposed the theory that Jesus had children with Mary Magdalene (flesh-and-blood Holy Grails) who followed Joseph of Arimathea to Europe, some of whose descendants mixed with the Acadians, thus explaining the English persecutions.
[21] Nous reviendrons en Acadie (2000), Herménégilde l'Acadien (2000), and Jacou d'Acadie (2001) are children's novels that aim to move the reader with sympathetic characters, to help them understand what a deportation could be like.
[24] Martine L. Jacquot wrote reviews in the magazine Ven'd'est until its disappearance in the early 2000s, in the weekly Le Courrier de la Nouvelle-Écosse until the same period,[24] and then in electronic media such as ecrits-vains.com.
[26] It wasn't until 1979 that Marguerite Maillet [fr], Gérald Leblanc and Bernard Émont completed Anthologie de textes littéraires acadiens, 1606–1975, proving that Acadian literature does exist.
[25] Founded in 2001 by Denis Sonier, Éditions de la Francophonie publishes everything (except poetry and memoirs) as long as the text is well written, has commercial potential and the author is willing to share the financial risk.
[25] Bouton d'or Acadie and La grande Marée do not even have permanent staff, while Éditions de Grand-Pré only operates when its main volunteer, Professor Henri-Dominique Pratte, can take care of it.
[25] Nevertheless, the practices and financial capacity of Acadian publishers have led several authors, including Herménégilde Chiasson, France Daigle, and Claude Le Bouthillier [fr], to seek publication in Quebec.