Michel Tremblay was born in a working-class neighbourhood of Montreal. He realized while still very young that he had a passion for writing. At high school he wrote poems, plays and novels. At 17 he was writing fantasy stories that he later published under the title CONTES POUR BUVEURS ATTARDÉS. In 1968, the Théâtre du Rideau Vert put on a Michel Tremblay play that was an instant hit: LES BELLES-SOEURS. It was to be revived many times, in Quebec and elsewhere, and has become a classic of the Quebec theatre. In 1973 it was acclaimed in Paris as the best foreign play of the season. He is a prolific writer, and in 1972 came his first feature film, IL ÉTAIT UNE FOIS DANS L’EST. In 1976 he and Brassard produced LE SOLEIL SE LÉVE EN RETARD, and he created his most intense play, SAINTE-CARMEN DE LA MAIN. Then came a series of major works: LES CHRONIQUES DU PLATEAU MONT-ROYAL; LA GROSSE FEMME D'À CÔTÉ EST ENCEINTE (1978); THÉRÈSE ET PIERRETTE À L'ÉCOLE DES SAINTS-ANGES (1980); LA DUCHESSE ET LA ROTURIER (1982); DES NOUVELLES D'ÉDOUARD (1984); LE COEUR DÉCOUVERT (1986); LE PREMIER QUARTIER DE LA LUNE (1989). A six-time recipient of Canada Council grants, Tremblay has received some 20 awards and honours. Michel Tremblay's writing is among the most daring and original in Quebec literature.
