By his own admission a bit of a dabbler (touche-à-tout), Godbout has become one of the most important writers of his generation,[citation needed] with a major influence on post-1960 Quebec intellectual life.

Born in Montreal, Quebec, after studies at Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf and the Université de Montréal, Godbout taught French in Ethiopia before joining the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as producer and scriptwriter in 1958.

Godbout's novel Une histoire américaine (1986) was chosen for inclusion in the French version of Canada Reads, broadcast on Radio-Canada in 2004, where it was championed by trade-union activist and professor Gérald Larose.

On June 30, 2016, Godbout was made an Officer of the Order of Canada by Governor General David Johnston for "his significant contributions to the literary arts and critical thinking for more than half a century.

58, the first English language analysis of Le couteau sur la table which he claims changed his whole career as a writer who has published fourteen books by 2023.