Jean-Paul Desbiens
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Jean-Paul Desbiens (March 7, 1927 – July 23, 2006) was a Quebec writer, journalist, teacher and member of the Catholic order of Marist Brothers.
He was born at Métabetchouan in the Lac Saint-Jean region of Quebec in 1927. He joined the Marist order in 1944 and studied at the Université de Montréal and the Université Laval, graduating with a degree in philosophy in 1958. He began a teaching career in high schools of his native Lac-St-Jean region. His 1960 book Les insolences du Frère Untel ('The Impertinences of Brother Anonymous'), is a strong attack on the quality of public education system in Quebec. The book, which also denounces the poor quality of the spoken and written French among the younger generations, is credited by many as inspiring the Quiet Revolution in Quebec.
His identity revealed and his relationship with the church establishment strained, Jean-Paul Desbiens left the Quebec intellectual scene and attended University of Fribourg (Switzerland) where he obtained a Ph.D in philosophy. He later worked with the Ministry of Education in Quebec to help improve the public school and junior college programs in the province. Desbiens was editor-in-chief for La Presse from 1970 to 1972. He was also the provincial head of his religious congregation for a time. He wrote many essays, and published his personal journal. He was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2006.
He died in Quebec City of a heart attack on July 23 2006 after a long battle with lung cancer.
