Deaths on October 20

Yves Thériault, Canadian author (b. 1915)

Yves Thériault, OC (November 27, 1915 – October 20, 1983) was a Canadian author.

He was born in Quebec City to Alcide and Aurore (Nadeau) Thériault. On April 21, 1942, he married Germaine Blanchet, with whom he had two children, Marie-José and Yves-Michel. As a child he dropped out of school at the age of 15, holding many miscellaneous jobs until he became a known writer.

Perhaps his best-known work is Agaguk, a story of cultural conflict between Inuit and white men, published in 1958.

In 1975, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition for being "one of the most prolific writers and best-known novelists in Canada".He was a member of the Canadian Authors Association, the International PEN Club, le syndicat national des Écrivains de France, la Société des Gens de Lettres (Paris), la Société des écrivains canadiens, and la Société des auteurs Dramatiques.