Educated at the Sorbonne where he studied law, Hemon worked for various maritime agencies before moving to London. In 1911, he emigrated to Canada and worked for an insurance company for a time before settling in a rural district and undertaking farm work. While there he wrote his best-known work, Maria Chapdelaine, a story of French-Canadian pioneer life. The novel was sent to the French newspaper Le Temps for publication, but shortly afterward Hemon was killed in a train accident and he was never able to realize the success that the novel eventually achieved. It became an international success, being translated to over 20 languages. His other works, which were all published posthumously, include La Belle qui Voila (1923), Colin-Maillard (1924), Battling Malone (1925), Monsieur Ripois et la Nemesis (1950), Lettres a sa Famille (1965) and Recits Sportifs (1982). |
