Napoléon P. Landry

1884-1956

Napoléon Landry was born in Saint-Joseph-de- Memramcook (NB) on 30 December 1884. He studied at Saint-Joseph College in Memramcook and at Collège Sainte-Anne in Pointe-de-l'Église (NS) before entering the Major Seminary of Sacred Heart in Halifax. Ordained in 1914, he was vicar of Bouctouche (NB) for three years and pastor of the parish of Sackville (NB) from 1917 to 1925. He was then parish priest at Sainte-Marie-de-Kent (N.-B.) and directed this parish until his retirement in 1953. He published two collections of poems: Poèmes de mon pays (1949) and Poèmes acadiens (1955). Landry received an honorary diploma from the Société des Poètes Canadiens-Français in 1953 and a French-language prize from the Académie Française in 1955; on 20 May 1951 his poem "Votre Assomption" won him fourth prize and a laureate's diploma in an international poetry competition held by the Puy Florimontain de Lyon of the Académie des Jeux Florimontains de Lyon-Savoye-Provence. He was a frequent contributor to L'Evangéline from 1914 to 1927 and from 1937 to 1953. He was known among them as Le Père Nap'. On 27 September 1956 he was struck by a train at a level crossing in the center of Moncton and died the following day.

Predominant New Brunswick Residences:

Sainte-Marie-de-Kent

Archival Material

• Fonds Napoléon-Landry
  ⌄
  Location

  Centre d'études acadiennes Anselme-Chiasson

  Website/Catalogue Record

  View Archival Record

  Retrieval Number

  18

  Date Range of Material

  1904-1955

  Extent

  12 cm

  Scope and Content Note

  Fonds consists of files of poems composed by Napoléon Landry or correspondence relating to his publications; a file of Private Eddy T. DeVarrennes (letters to his family during the First World War).