Major, Henriette, 1933-2006 : Author, screenwriter, journalist and children's playwright, Montréal, Quebec, January 6, 1933-Montréal, Quebec, November 16, 2006. Daughter of Henri Major and Yvette Groleau, married to Robert Dubuc in 1953, mother of Patrice and Suzanne Dubuc. École Notre Dame du Rosaire, elementary school, 1939-48; École St Alphonse d'Youville, secondary school, 1950-52; Université de Montréal, Institut pédagogique: Certificate in special education (auxiliary and kindergarten classes), 1952; École des Beaux-Arts, Montréal, night courses, plastic arts methodology, 1951-53; Université de Montréal: Certificate in audiovisual and advertising, 1968.
After studying early childhood education and the plastic arts, Henriette Major taught classes of children with disabilities in Montréal in 1953 and 1954, and she was a drama instructor from 1952 to 1960. From 1954 to 1964, she created a travelling puppet show that she toured across Quebec. From 1956 to 1958, she wrote texts for children for Radio-Canada radio (CBF station). From 1958 to 1967, she worked on the beloved children's television series "La Boîte à surprises" as a props manager and puppeteer. She co-wrote the show "Théâtre d'Ombres" (1964-65) and wrote episodes of the series "Les poupées" (1964) as well as two series, "Jim Nas Tic" (1966) and "Mlle Millefeuilles" (1966-67).
Starting in the 1970s, Henriette Major was a driving force in the new children's literature in Quebec. She wrote over 100 books for children as well as works for adults. She produced albums, tales, stories and novels, as well as activity books and instructional works. In 1970, she published La Surprise de dame Chenille, illustrated by paper artist Claude Lafortune (Canadian Library Association Gold Medal, 1971). She is known for the book adaptations of television series that she created in collaboration with paper artist Claude Lafortune, including L'Évangile en papier, 1978 (Prix Alvine Bélisle, 1978). In 1976, she became director of the "Pour lire avec toi" collection at Éditions Héritage, a position that she held until 1993. She continued to write educational works and fiction. From 1986 to 1997, she had great success with the "Sophie" series, nine books illustrated by Garnotte. In the 1990s, in addition to producing numerous albums and novels, she wrote two giant puppet shows, Jeux de rêve (1993) and La couronne du destin (1995), for the Théâtre Sans fil, which brought her international recognition.
By the year 2000, Henriette Major had gained recognition for her CD-book sets of nursery rhymes and folk songs, and for original creations illustrated by renowned illustrators. These included three projects with her son, Patrice Dubuc: Chansons douces, chansons tendres, 2001 (Prix Odyssée, 2002); Chansons et rondes pour s'amuser, 2002; and Le tour du monde en chanson, 2003. He completed the series posthumously with the publication of Chansons des quatre saisons, 2008. Henriette Major also published several poetry collections, including Avec des yeux d'enfants, illustrated by Marc Mongeau, 2002, an anthology of which the Centrale Syndicale du Québec (CSQ) distributed more than 1,800 copies to Quebec elementary schools; and Les Devinettes d'Henriette, illustrated by Philippe Béha, 2004 (Prix Québec/Wallonie Bruxelles de littérature jeunesse, 2005).
While pursuing her literary career, Henriette Major continued to write scripts for children's television shows and to produce educational materials. From 1972 to 1983, she wrote more than 350 scripts for nine other television series, including "L'Évangile en papier" (1975-76, Prix de l'Institut canadien de Radio Télévision). She also scripted documentaries and produced educational programs, films, educational discs and other educational materials for Quebec's Ministère des Affaires culturelles and Ministère de l'Éducation. Her career also had a journalistic component. She first wrote articles for Chatelaine and Maclean's magazines from 1966 to 1968. She then wrote a weekly column for Perspectives magazine from 1966 to 1978. In total, she authored over 1,000 magazine articles during her career.
Henriette Major was a founding member of Communication jeunesse (1971), an organization devoted to promoting children's literature, which she chaired in 1974-75. During her career, Henriette Major delivered many lectures and presentations at teacher and librarian conferences and children's literature symposia. She travelled extensively and participated in many book fairs in Canada and around the world. Henriette Major was on the board of directors of Sardec from 1969 to 1972, UNEQ (the Quebec's writers union) in 1983-84 and Rêvothèque in 1989-90. She was also a member of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), the Society of Children's Book Writers (United States) and the Société des auteurs et compositeurs dramatiques (France).
In addition to the awards for her books, Henriette Major was awarded the Médaille du Rayonnement culturel by the Association de la Renaissance Française in 2000. The publishing house Dominique et Compagnie created the Prix Henriette-Major in 2001 to encourage the publication and distribution of an author's first novel in children's literature. From October 26, 1988, to April 23, 1989, the National Library of Canada held an exhibition of Henriette Major's work entitled The secret self.
In her novel Élise et l'oncle riche, 1979, Henriette Major described the working-class neighbourhood where she grew up in Montréal.
