# Gil Courtemanche > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gil_Courtemanche > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gil_Courtemanche.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gil_Courtemanche > Source revision: 1317138728 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Canadian progressive journalist and novelist Gil Courtemanche speaks to locked-out journalists on the stage of Montreal's Metropolis, at the second "Show du cadenas" in January 2011. **Gil Courtemanche** (August 18, 1943 – August 19, 2011)[1] was a Canadian [progressive](/source/Progressivism) journalist and novelist in third-world and [international politics](/source/International_politics). He wrote for the [Montreal](/source/Montreal) newspaper *[Le Devoir](/source/Le_Devoir)*. ## Life and career Courtemanche was born in [Montreal](/source/Montreal), Quebec. He began his career as a journalist in 1962, with several collaborations with [Radio-Canada](/source/Canadian_Broadcasting_Corporation) including *[Le 60](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Le_60&action=edit&redlink=1)*, *[Métro Magazine](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=M%C3%A9tro_Magazine&action=edit&redlink=1)* and *[Présent National](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pr%C3%A9sent_National&action=edit&redlink=1)*. He later created *[L'Évènement](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=L%27%C3%89v%C3%A8nement_(TV_program)&action=edit&redlink=1)*, a television program with Radio-Canada which he also hosted between 1978 and 1980. During the same period, he was also an editorialist with CBOT, an Ottawa radio station. In 1978, he hosted *Contact*, the first public affairs magazine for [Télé-Québec](/source/T%C3%A9l%C3%A9-Qu%C3%A9bec). Between 1980 and 1986, he worked as a host, analyst and correspondent for the programs *[Télémag](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=T%C3%A9l%C3%A9mag&action=edit&redlink=1)*, *[Première Page](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Premi%C3%A8re_Page&action=edit&redlink=1)* and *[Le Point](/source/Le_Point)* with Radio-Canada. Courtemanche helped found the [sovereigntist](/source/Quebec_sovereignty_movement) and [social democrat](/source/Social_democrat) newspaper *[Le Jour](/source/Le_Jour)*, and also worked as a journalist with *[La Presse](/source/La_Presse_(Canadian_newspaper))*. From 1986, he worked on various publications such as Alternatives and Le Libraire. He published columns on international politics in *[Le Soleil](/source/Le_Soleil_(Quebec))*, *[Le Droit](/source/Le_Droit)*, and *Le Devoir*. He participated in making documentaries, including the series *[Soleil dans la nuit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Soleil_dans_la_nuit&action=edit&redlink=1)* for TV5 Europe-Afrique-Canada, on the first anniversary of the [Rwandan genocide](/source/Rwandan_genocide). He also filmed a documentary on AIDS entitled *[The Gospel of AIDS](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Gospel_of_AIDS&action=edit&redlink=1)*. Furthermore, he helped produced various documentaries and advertisements on the third-world for *Le Cardinal Léger et ses œuvres* and *OXFAM-Québec*: leprosy in Haiti, the politics of water, agricultural development in the Philippines, education for disabled children in Thailand, etc. His first novel, *[Un dimanche à la piscine à Kigali](/source/Un_dimanche_%C3%A0_la_piscine_%C3%A0_Kigali)*, which documents the Rwandan genocide of 1994, was published in 2000. It was chosen for inclusion in the French version of *[Canada Reads](/source/Canada_Reads)*, broadcast on Radio-Canada in 2004, where it was defended by writer, environmentalist and activist [Laure Waridel](/source/Laure_Waridel). *Un dimanche à la piscine à Kigali* eventually won the contest. It was filmed as *[A Sunday in Kigali](/source/A_Sunday_in_Kigali) (Un dimanche à Kigali)*. ## Death Courtemanche died August 19, 2011, from cancer, one day after his 68th birthday. ## Bibliography - *Douces colères* (1989) - *Trente artistes dans un train* (1989) - *Chroniques internationales* (1991) - *Québec* (1998) - *Nouvelles douces colères* (1999) - *[Un dimanche à la piscine à Kigali](/source/Un_dimanche_%C3%A0_la_piscine_%C3%A0_Kigali)* (2000). Translated into English as *A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali* by [Patricia Claxton](/source/Patricia_Claxton) (2003) - *La Seconde Révolution tranquille – Démocratiser la démocratie* (essay) (2003) - *Une belle mort* (2005) - *Le monde, le lézard et moi* (2009) - *Je ne veux pas mourir seul* (2010) ## Awards and recognition - Winner: Prix des Libraires, 2000 - Winner: National Magazine Award for Political Reporting, 1998 - Nominee 2003 – [Governor General's Award](/source/Governor_General's_Award) ([French to English translation](/source/Governor_General's_Award_for_French_to_English_translation)) - Nominee 2004 – [Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize](/source/Rogers_Writers'_Trust_Fiction_Prize) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Quebec writer Gil Courtemanche dies"](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/quebec-writer-gil-courtemanche-dies/article2135529/). *[The Globe and Mail](/source/The_Globe_and_Mail)*, August 19, 2011. ## External links - [Author page at Random House](https://web.archive.org/web/20041210142222/http://www.randomhouse.ca/newface/courtemanche.php) - [Author page at *Les Éditions du Boréal*](http://www.editionsboreal.qc.ca/fr-bio.php?file=274) (in French) - [Gil Courtemanche](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1955029/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier)) Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND FAST WorldCat National United States France BnF data Czech Republic Portugal Netherlands Norway Greece Poland Israel Catalonia Academics CiNii 2 People DDB Other IdRef --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gil Courtemanche](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gil_Courtemanche) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gil_Courtemanche?action=history)). 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