  hubert aquin (24 october 1929 â 15 march 1977) was a quebec novelist, political activist, essayist, filmmaker and editor. aquin was born in montreal and graduated from the universitÃ© de montrÃ©al in 1951. from 1951 to 1954, he studied at the institut d'Ã©tudes politiques in paris. on his return to montreal worked for radio-canada from 1955 until 1959. from 1960 to 1968, aquin was active in the movement for quebec independence. he was an executive member of the first independentist political party, the rassemblement pour l'indÃ©pendance nationale (1960â1969). in 1964, he announced that he was going "underground" to work for independence through terrorism; he was arrested shortly thereafter and detained for four months in a psychiatric hospital. it was there that he wrote his first novel, prochain Ã©pisode (1965), the story of an imprisoned revolutionary. in december 1964, he was acquitted of illegal possession of a firearm. regarded as a classic of canadian literature, aquin's novel next episode (the english translation of prochain Ã©pisode by sheila fischman), was chosen for the 2003 edition of cbc radio's canada reads competition, where it was championed by journalist denise bombardier. it was the winning title. an earlier english translation by penny williams, keeping the french title, was published in 1967. the self-destructive thoughts of the novel's narrator foreshadow aquin's own death: on 15 march 1977, aquin shot himself in the head. he left a suicide note claiming his death was a free and positive choice, stating, "i have lived intensely, and now it is over."  a fuller understanding of aquin's intense life can be gained from jacques godbout's biographical documentary, deux Ã©pisodes dans la vie d'hubert aquin (1979) and from ha!: a self-murder mystery (2003), an experiment in biography by aquin's friend gordon sheppard. == recognition == the universitÃ© du quÃ©bec Ã  montrÃ©al (uqam) named its main humanities building in his honour because he was the first director of the dÃ©partement d'Ãtudes littÃ©raires in 1969, a professor, and also because of his important novels and radio dramas. == see also == *emmanuel aquin, one of his three sons, also a writer *franÃ§ois aquin, cousin, politician == bibliography == * prochain Ã©pisode (next episode) â 1965 * trou de mÃ©moire (blackout) â 1968 * l'antiphonaire (the antiphonary) â 1969 * point de fuite â 1971 * neige noire (hamlet's twin) â 1974 * blocs erratiques â 1977 * l'invention de la mort â written in 1959, published in 1990 ==filmography== * Ã st-henri le cinq septembre{{cite web|last=aquin|first=huber
1929_births 1977_deaths 20th-century_Canadian_novelists Canadian_male_novelists Canadian_novelists_in_French Film_directors_from_Montreal French_Quebecers Prix_Athanase-David_winners Quebec_film_directors Quebec_sovereigntists Suicides_by_firearm_in_Quebec UniversitA(c)_de_MontrA(c)al_alumni Writers_from_Montreal Writers_who_committed_suicide