Meet Herménégilde Chiasson - poet, painter, former NB Lieutenant Governor, and passionate Acadian

Herménégilde Chiasson has excelled in almost every branch of the arts and has won many awards and honours, including the Governor General's Literary Award and the Order of Canada. 

He has published 18 books of poetry, written more than 30 plays and directed more than 15 films. Countless galleries have shown his paintings and photography, including 18 solo exhibitions. For almost two decades, he worked on-and-off at the CBC as a journalist, researcher and director. 

For six years, he also served as Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick.

However, in English Canada, the name Herménégilde Chiasson is not well-known. In fact, even in Quebec, he is hardly a household name. That is because he is Acadian.

And even though he is one of the most translated Acadian authors, less than half his work is available in English.

In 1974, there were rave reviews for his first book of poetry, Mourir à Scoudouc.  Some of the poems have been translated over the years; however, it has taken more than four decades to produce an English edition of an iconic Canadian book. 

The New Brunswick publisher Goose Lane Editions and translator Jo-Anne Elder met that challenge. 

Herménégilde Chiasson spoke with Michael Enright about the new English edition of his first book of poetry, To Live and Die in Scoudouc.

After this segment aired, The Sunday Edition played Suzie LeBlanc's traditional Acadian song Avec un avocat. Michael Enright talked to Ms. LeBlanc in 2013. Click here to listen to that interview.