A Tribute to Émile J. Talbot from the Québec Studies Community
On Monday, March 24, the ACQS Executive Board received word of the death of our
friend and colleague, Professor Emile Talbot. In our sorrow, the ACQS Executive
Board wants to pay tribute to Emile Talbot so that those who knew him as a mentor
or friend can take a moment to celebrate his life and those who did not know him
personally can appreciate him. And what a rare and wonderful person he was —
brilliant scholar, dedicated and inspiring teacher, hardworking administrator,
generous collaborator, warm and sympathetic friend, devoted husband and father.
Although quiet and modest in demeanor, he was a giant in our field. His
contributions to Québec and Francophone Canadian literary studies, to the
American Council for Québec Studies, to Québec Studies, and to Canadian Studies
cannot be measured. Although family responsibilities kept him away from ACQS and
ACSUS conferences in recent years, he continued to write and publish articles and to
review journal submissions.
Emile began his academic career as a dix-neuvièmiste, publishing three books on
Stendhal. When a handful of professors in the Northeast decided to form an
organization devoted to Québec Studies, he joined the movement with great
enthusiasm and turned his scholarly attention to the poetry and fiction of French
Canada. He published numerous articles on the French-language poetry of Canada
(Emile Nelligan, Simone Routier, Serge Patrice Thibodeau, Jean Narrache, Clément
Marchand, Anne Hébert, Saint-Denys Garneau) and a variety of articles on Québec
short stories and novels (Yves Thériault, Robert Choquette, Anne Hébert, Ying Chen,
Jacques Godbout). He was a careful reader and a meticulous researcher, with special
interests in religious and philosophical themes. His Reading Nelligan (McGillQueen’s University Press, 2002) was called an important landmark by reviewers.
With his personal scholarly prestige, Emile helped build the reputation of both ACQS
and Québec Studies. He was Vice-President and then President of ACQS and served
as Book Review Editor, Associate Editor, and then Editor of the journal. Even after
his retirement, he continued to serve faithfully on the editorial board. He also served
the profession on a number of other editorial boards and helped many of us by
serving on scores of tenure and promotion committees. For his contributions, he
received the Prix du Québec from the ACQS and the Government of Québec in 2006.
As impressive as he was on paper, he was more impressive as a human being. His
death is a great loss.
—Jane Moss, Duke University, on behalf of the
Executive Board of the American Council for
Québec Studies
Below are a few of the tributes to Emile that we have received:
Myrna Delson-Karan, St. John’s University. “The field of Québec Studies has lost a
major scholar who has made an indelible contribution to our field. He has been a
great friend to us all, and such a warm-hearted person. It was a privilege to know
him and to read all of his brilliant research. He will be sorely missed.”
Marc T. Boucher, Québec Government (ret.) “I was very saddened by the news – this is
a huge loss for all of us. I had the honor of working with Émile since the 1970s. He was
one of the pioneers in the field, taught me about rigor and nuance, and was living proof
that you could be an intense and committed innovator without becoming arrogant. In his
mind, there was no hierarchy among those who contributed to the field of North
American francophone studies...a grad student would ultimately become a publishing
academic and deserved the same respect. There is a huge void in the field with his
passing. RIP Émile Talbot.”
Charles Batson, Union College. “A word of deep reverence for a great man. To those
of us who were graduate students at the University of Illinois, Emile Talbot showed
how one could meld great scholarship with a sense of the humble, the human. We
have all gained much through his presence in our lives.”
Kevin Christiano, University of Notre Dame. “I knew Emile and worked with him
closely when he was editor of Québec Studies. Others have noted his remarkable
dedication to scholarship and his generosity to others. He was certainly a quiet man,
and to some he seemed a bit dour, yet I think that this impression had more to do
with the perpetual stoop of one so tall and lanky and the perpetual bemusement of
such a keen observer of humanity. Not many people were aware of Emile's deep
faith, but I remember us worshipping together in French after we stumbled into the
same pew at Mass on Sundays when the ACQS met in cities in Québec.”
Karen Gould, President of Brooklyn College. “We each surely have our special
memories of Emile because he was such a quietly wonderful and giving person.”
Robert Schwartzwald, Université de Montréal. “Behind his gentle and modest
demeanor, he was as solid as a rock for the ACQS. Immensely knowledgeable about
Quebec – and especially Quebec literature –, he set high standards for all of us.
Learning that I will never see him again saddens me deeply.”
Samuel Fisher, University of South Alabama. “My interactions with Emile revolved
around the ACQS and he was always happy to answer my questions about the
organization and especially providing context for his answers. We were in different
fields but he showed a genuine interest in whatever research –Quebec or nonQuebec – I was doing at the time. His questions and comments were substantive.
Emile listened with a knowing smile when I talked about my family and especially
my kids, who were young at the time. Emile was a fun person and I will miss him.”
Jack Yeager, Louisiana State University. “I'm thunderstruck by the news of Emile’s
death. He was that quiet, reliable presence behind so many good things.”
Eloise Brière, SUNY Albany. “ I knew him to be a gentleman with an immense store
of knowledge which he so generously shared. A loss for the profession and for all.”