{{Short description|French Canadian historian, professor and author of comic strips}} {{Use Canadian English|date=October 2017}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}} {{Infobox author | name = Mira Falardeau | image = | alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software --> | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1948}} | birth_place = Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | death_date = | death_place = | other_names = | occupation = Historian, professor, comic writer | education = Ph.D. | alma_mater = University of Paris | years_active = | known_for = | notable_works = }}
'''Mira Falardeau''' (born 1948) is a French Canadian historian, professor, and author of comic strips (French: ''bande dessinée'', BD). Falardeau has devoted works to Québec animated films, Québec comic strips and caricatures in Québec, focusing on visual humour in all its forms. She taught as a professor of cinema and communication at Laval University and the University of Ottawa. Falardeau has also curated exhibitions in the visual arts and operated a small publishing house.
==Biography== Falardeau graduated with a master's degree in art history from Laval University in Québec in 1978. Her thesis was ''L'Humour visuel: un modèle d'analyse visuelle des images comiques'' (English: Visual Humour: A Model for Visual Analysis of Comic Images).<ref name="LavalBio" />
As a comic book author, Falardeau began in 1974 by publishing in the Québec newspaper ''Mainbasse'' and the following year in its supplement, ''Perspectives''. From 1976 to 1980, she produced a monthly strip in the Montréal magazine ''Châtelaine''<ref name="LaplanteBande" /> and continued her collaborations with ''Le Fil des événements'' (Québec) and ''CWS / CF Les cahiers de la femme'' (Toronto).<ref name="LemayBedeiste" /> In 1982, she collaborated on the magazine ''Le Temps fou'' (Montréal) and from 1984 to 1987 with {{interlanguage link|La Vie en rose (magazine)|lt=''La Vie en rose''|fr}}. magazine.<ref name="LavalBio" />
In 1981 Falardeau obtained her Ph.D. from the Institute of Aesthetics and Art Sciences at the University of Paris ({{a.k.a.}} The Sorbonne). Her thesis was ''La bande dessinée faite par les femmes en France et au Québec depuis 1960'' (The comics made by women in France and Québec since 1960).<ref name="LavalBio" />
Falardeau was a professor of cinema and communication and French at Laval University (1975–1976 and 1992), the University of Ottawa (1983–1984), at Cégep de Sainte-Foy (1987–1989) and Cégep de Limoilou (1997–2005).<ref name="LavalBio" />
Falardeau has published several articles on the subject of comics in various newspapers and magazines. Falardeau helped found the Société des créateur(trice)s et ami(e)s de la bande dessinée (Society of Creators and Friends of Comics, ScaBD) in 1985, and was the organization's president and spokesperson for several years. She is also a member of the Observatoire de l'humor, a group dedicated to research on humour in all its forms.<ref name="LavalBio" />
In 1993, she founded Éditions Falardeau, a small publishing house that published most collections of her husband, author {{ill|André-Philippe Côté|fr}}. It ceased operations in 1998, after selling its fund to Éditions Soulières.
Falardeau has worked to legitimize comics as a recognized art form<ref name="HoulePolicy" /> and as a tool for democracy and peace.<ref name="DeslogesCaricature" /> She curated many exhibitions, including ''Les aventures de la bande dessinée québécoise au musée du Québec'' (The Adventures of the Québec Comic Strip at the Québec Museum) on the 100th anniversary of Québec comics (1997).<ref name="LeducRetour" />
Her ''Histoire de la caricature au Québec'' (''History of Caricature in Québec''), co-written with Robert Aird, received two awards in 2010: the 3rd prize of the political book of the presidency of the National Assembly of Quebec in April<ref name="QuebecLaureats" /> and the grand prize of the National Assembly awarded by {{ill|Revue d'histoire de l'Amérique française|fr|italic=yes}} in October.<ref name="IHAFPrix" />
Since 2008, Falardeau has devoted herself to humorous carvings on wood and mixed mediums.<ref name="LavalBio" />
==Major works==
===Comic strips=== *Publications in the magazines ''Châtelaine'' (1970s) and ''La Vie en rose'' (1980s). *{{cite book|title=Et vlan! On s'expose...|trans-title=And wham! We're exposing ourselves...|language=French|first=Mira|last=Falardeau|publisher=ScaBD|date=1985}} *{{cite book|title=La Mercière assassinée|trans-title=The murdered Mercière|language=French|first=Mira|last=Falardeau|publisher=Soullères|location=Montréal|date=2000}}
===Books=== *{{cite book|title=La bande dessinée au Québec|trans-title=Comics in Québec|language=French|first=Mira|last=Falardeau|publisher=Editions du Boréal|location=Montréal|date=1994}} **Augmented and updated reissue under the title {{cite book|title=Histoire de la bande dessinée au Québec|trans-title=History of Comics in Québec|language=French|publisher=VLB|location=Montréal|date=2008|pages=192}} *{{cite book|title=Histoire du cinéma d'animation au Québec|trans-title=History of animated cinema in Québec|language=French|first=Mira|last=Falardeau|publisher=VLB|location=Montréal|date=2006}} *{{cite book|title=Histoire de la caricature au Québec|trans-title=History of Caricature in Québec|language=French|first1=Mira|last1=Falardeau|first2=Robert|last2=Aird|publisher=VLB|location=Montréal|date=2009}}<ref name="LaurenceCaricature" /> *{{cite book|title=Femmes et humour|trans-title=Women and Humour|language=French|first=Mira|last=Falardeau|publisher=University of Laval Press|date=2014}}<ref name="DacheuxFemmes" /> *{{cite book|title=Humour et liberté d'expressio|trans-title=Humor and Freedom of Expression|language=French|first=Mira|last=Falardeau|publisher=University of Laval Press|date=2015|pages=184}}<ref name="BergeronLiberte" />
Falardeau, Mira (2020). ''L'art de la bande dessinée actuelle au Québec'', Quebec, University of Laval Press<ref>Chris Reyns, ''Canadian Review of Literature,'' June 2020, 13-18</ref>
Falardeau, Mira (2020). ''A History of Women Cartoonists'', Toronto, Mosaic Press. Augmented and updated reissue under the title ''Femmes et humour''.
===Exhibitions as guest curator===
*''Les Aventures de la bande dessinée québécoise'', Museum of Québec, 1997–1998<ref name="LeducRetour" /> *''André-Philippe Côté, du bon côté'', Maison Hamel-Bruneau, 2003 *''Les débuts de la bande dessinée québécoise de 1904 à 1908'', Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, 2004<ref name="LavalBio" /> *''Dessine-moi un jeu- des jeux dans les journaux aux jeux vidéo'', Le Grand Rire, 2006 *''André-Philippe Côté, un certain côté de Québec'', Bibliothèque de Charlesbourg, 2007 *''Les histoires en images: ancêtres de la BD'', Grande Bibliothèque de Montréal, 2008<ref name="LavalBio" /> *''Manga: art du mouvement et Raconte-moi un manga'', Grande Bibliothèque de Montréal, 2011–2013<ref name="LeclercMangas" /> *''L'arme du rire: Caricature et liberté d'expression'', Bibliothèque Gabrielle-Roy, Québec, 2015<ref name="DeslogesCaricature" />
==See also== *Female comics creators *Quebec comics
==References== <references>
<ref name="LemayBedeiste">{{cite journal |url=http://cws.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/cws/article/view/12357 |title=Mira Falardeau, bédéiste québécoise |trans-title=Mira Falardeau, Québec cartoonist |journal=Les Cahiers de la Femme (Canadian Women Studies) |volume=8 |number=1 |publisher=Innana Publications |first=Danièle |last=Lemay |language=French |quote= |pages=76–79 |date=1987 |access-date= |archive-url= |archive-date= }}</ref>
<ref name="LaplanteBande">{{cite web |url=http://bv.cdeacf.ca/CF_PDF/LVR/1985/27juin/92110.pdf |title=Elles dessinent par la bande |trans-title=They draw by the band |work=La Vie en rose |publisher= |location= |first=Sylvie |last=Laplante |language=French |quote= |date=June 1985 |access-date=18 November 2017 |archive-url= |archive-date= }}</ref>
<ref name="QuebecLaureats">{{cite web |url=http://www.assnat.qc.ca/en/actualites-salle-presse/communiques/CommuniquePresse-631.html |title=8e Journée du livre politique au Québec – L'Assemblée nationale récompense ses lauréats |trans-title=8th Annual Political Book Day in Quebec – The National Assembly rewards its laureates |publisher=National Assembly of Québec |location= |author= |language=French |quote= |date=6 April 2010 |access-date=18 November 2017 |archive-url= |archive-date= }}</ref>
<ref name="IHAFPrix">{{cite web |url=http://www.ihaf.qc.ca/ihaf/?page_id=258 |title=Prix de l'Assemblée nationale du Québec – Récipiendaires |trans-title=Quebec National Assembly Award – Recipients |publisher=IHAF |location= |first= |last= |author= |language=French |quote= |date= |access-date=20 November 2017 |archive-url= |archive-date= }}</ref>
<ref name="HoulePolicy">{{cite web |url=https://www.lesoleil.com/arts/livres/vers-une-politique-de-la-bd-quebecoise-c765b65c88c92bf4063446d5160f8c0f |title=Vers une politique de la BD québécoise |trans-title=Towards a policy of Quebec comics |work=Le Soleil |location=Quebec |publisher=Power Corporation of Canada |first=Nicolas |last=Houle |language=French |quote= |date=15 April 2017 |access-date=18 November 2017 |archive-url= |archive-date= }}</ref>
<ref name="DeslogesCaricature">{{cite web |url=https://www.lesoleil.com/archives/la-caricature-ou-lart-de-degainer-les-crayons-2d8809d917ae5b93f7261235b55663ca |title=La caricature ou l'art de dégainer les crayons |trans-title=The caricature or the art of drawing the pencils |work=Le Soleil |location=Quebec |publisher=Power Corporation of Canada |first=Josianne |last=Desloges |language=French |quote= |date=13 October 2015 |access-date=18 November 2017 |archive-url= |archive-date= }}</ref>
<ref name="LeducRetour">{{cite web |url=http://www.journaldequebec.com/2016/08/20/la-bdq-de-retour-au-musee |title=La BDQ de retour au musée |trans-title=The BDQ back to the museum |work=Le Journal de Québec |publisher=Quebecor |first=Jean-Domimic |last=Leduc |language=French |quote= |date=20 August 2016 |access-date=18 November 2017 |archive-url= |archive-date= }}</ref>
<ref name="LeclercMangas">{{cite web |url=http://www.journaldequebec.com/2013/03/21/mangas-en-direct |title=Mangas en direct |trans-title=Live mangas |work=Le Journal de Québec |publisher=Quebecor |first=Yves |last=Leclerc |language=French |quote= |date=21 March 2013 |access-date=18 November 2017 |archive-url= |archive-date= }}</ref>
<ref name="LavalBio">{{cite web |url=https://www.pulaval.com/auteurs/mira-falardeau |title=Mira Falardeau |trans-title= |publisher=Presses of Laval University |first= |last= |author= |language=French |quote= |date= |access-date=18 November 2017 |archive-url= |archive-date= }}</ref>
<ref name="DacheuxFemmes">{{cite web |url=https://communication.revues.org/5330?lang=en |title=Mira FALARDEAU (2014), Femmes et humour |trans-title=Mira FALARDEAU (2014), Women and humor |work=Communication |publisher=Laval University Presses |location=Quebec |first=Éric |last=Dacheux |volume=33 |number=1 |language=French |quote= |date=2015 |access-date=18 November 2017 |archive-url= |archive-date= }}</ref>
<ref name="BergeronLiberte">{{cite web |url=http://www.nuitblanche.com/commentaire-lecture/humour-liberte-dexpression/ |title=HUMOUR ET LIBERTÉ D'EXPRESSION LES LANGAGES DE L'HUMOUR |trans-title=Humour and freedom of expression, the languages of humour |work=Nuit Blanche |publisher=nuitblanche.com |number=144 |first=Patrick |last=Bergeron |language=French |quote= |date=3 October 2016 |access-date=20 November 2017 |archive-url= |archive-date= }}</ref>
<ref name="LaurenceCaricature">{{cite web |url=http://www.lapresse.ca/arts/livres/200911/19/01-923052-la-caricature-au-quebec-dessine-moi-un-politicien.php |title=La caricature au Québec : dessine-moi un politicien... |trans-title=The caricature in Quebec: draw me a politician... |work=La Presse |publisher=Groupe Gesca |first=Jean-Christophe |last=Laurence |language=French |quote= |date=19 November 2009 |access-date=18 November 2017 |archive-url= |archive-date= }}</ref>
</references>
===Further reading=== *{{cite book |url= |title=Canuck comics, a Guide to Comic Books Published in Canada |work= |publisher=Matrix Books |location=Montréal |first1=John |last1=Bell |first2=Luc |last2=Pomerleau |first3=Robert |last3=MacMillan |quote= |date=1986 |access-date= }} *{{cite book |url= |title=Bande dessinée québécoise: répertoire bibliographique à suivre |trans-title=Quebec Comic Strip: Bibliographic Directory to Follow |work= |publisher=DBK |location=Sillery |first=Bernard |last=Dubois |language=French |quote= |date=1996 |access-date= }} *{{cite book | last=Viau | first=Michel | title=BDQ : Répertoire des publications de bandes dessinées au Québec des origines à nos jours | publisher=Laval, Québec : Éditions Mille-Îles | publication-place=Laval, Québec | date=2000 | isbn=978-2-920993-38-9 | language=fr | page=}}
== External links == *[http://www.bedetheque.com/auteur-19561-BD-Falardeau-Mira.html Mira Falardeau biography] at BD Gest
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Falardeau, Mira}} Category:1948 births Category:Canadian comics writers Category:Université Laval alumni Category:University of Paris alumni Category:Canadian women comics writers Category:Writers from Ottawa Category:Living people Category:Canadian expatriates in France