Photo: © Mark Leslie
Michel Jean is a writer, news anchor, host and investigative reporter from the community of Mashteuiatsh, Quebec. Mr. Jean uses his works to make his readers aware of Indigenous issues. Through his books, he deals sensitively with complex and sometimes painful issues in a way that has touched thousands of readers. He is also recognized for the important role he has played in the journalistic field.
Born in 1960, Mr. Jean studied history at the Université de Québec à Montréal before beginning his career as a journalist. His experiences as a reporter inspired his first book, Envoyé special (2008), and influenced some of his novels, such as Un monde mort comme la lune (2009) and Tsunamis (2017).
Many of Mr. Jean’s works deal with his Innu heritage and the experiences of Indigenous peoples in Canada. His 2019 novel Kukum, which tells the story of his community through the eyes of his grandmother, won the Prix littéraire France-Québec in 2020 and was a finalist for the Prix littéraire Jacques Lacarrière that same year.
Some of his other works deal with residential schools (Le vent en parle encore, 2013), urban Indigenous homelessness (Tiohtiá:ke, 2021), and his own Innu heritage (Elle et nous, 2012). Mr. Jean also edited several short story collections, including Amun (2016), the first anthology of Indigenous literature from Quebec, and Wapke (2021), Quebec’s first collection of science fiction short stories by Indigenous writers.
In 2022, Mr. Jean was made a member of the Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec, an honorary distinction awarded to individuals who have played a prominent role in Quebec’s artistic development.
