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Jacques Ducharme

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Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Jacques Ducharme, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 9 August 202522 sources
Jacques Ducharme
Born (1910-06-29) June 29, 1910 (age 116)
Holyoke, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedDecember 30, 1993(1993-12-30) (aged 83)
Occupation(s)Author, copy editor, historian
Known forWriting The Delusson Family and The Shadows of the Trees

Jacques Armand Ducharme (June 29, 1910 – December 30, 1993) was an American author, copy editor, and historian with roots in the French Canadian community. He is known for writing The Delusson Family, recognized as the first nationally circulated Franco American novel published in English, as well as The Shadows of the Trees, among the earliest English-language historical accounts chronicling the Great Migration of Quebec immigrants to New England and their influence on the region.

Early life

Born on June 29, 1910, in Holyoke, Massachusetts, Jacques Ducharme was the son of Pierre Honoré Tetreault-Ducharme and Malvina Katie Proulx.[1] His father worked in the mills and hailed from Saint-Valérien, Quebec, while his mother was a descendant of Nicholas Proulx, who initially brought Québécois workers to Holyoke.[2][3] Ducharme attended Notre-Dame du Perpetual Secours parish school before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Assumption College in 1932.[4]

Journalist and writer

Following his graduation from Assumption, Ducharme pursued further studies at the Sorbonne in Paris and launched a career as a freelance writer, editor, and educator. Upon returning to the United States, he audited classes at both Trinity College and Harvard, while contributing regularly to the Worcester Evening Post throughout the 1930s.[4] Awarded a grant from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, he wrote The Delusson Family (1939), a semi-autobiographical novel inspired by his paternal lineage originally from Luçon in Vendée, France.[5][6] This work marked the first English-language novel within Franco American fiction and generated some debate among audiences accustomed to French-language literature.

The initial print run of the novel sold approximately 4,500 copies,[5][7] receiving acclaim from critic Louis Dantin, who praised its contribution to introducing French-Canadian culture to a broader American readership.[8] Ducharme observed that his publishers in New York were unfamiliar with Franco-American communities in New England and intended this book to appeal to a wider audience.[7] Critical reception was varied; for instance, The Saturday Review identified certain flaws but acknowledged potential in Ducharme’s literary debut.[9]

The novel attracted national recognition within Catholic circles after being spotlighted by the Catholic Book Club of America, a Jesuit publication.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name In 1940, poet Gabriël Smit translated it into Dutch.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name

Building on this achievement, Ducharme acquired the Franco-American weekly newspaper La Justice based in Holyoke. He served as editor and publisher for fourteen months before selling it.[6] During his tenure, the publication featured poetry by former owner Joseph Lussier alongside a widely read column authored by Gabriel Crevier.[6] Ducharme voiced opposition to fascism under Vichy France and stressed Franco-Americans’ identification with America rather than France. He promoted embracing American cultural values amid evolving political circumstances.[10]

Comparison between The Town and the City and The Delusson Family

Franco-American author Rosaire Dion-Lévesque, along with Kerouac scholar Maurice Poteet, recognized Jacques Ducharme's The Delusson Family as a probable inspiration for Jack Kerouac's first novel, The Town and the City. Poteet observed that Kerouac's narrative might be regarded as a continuation or variation of Ducharme's literary style, despite differences in mood and locale. Central to both novels is the demise of the family patriarch, with comparable family compositions:

Delusson (Ducharme) Martin (Kerouac)
Jean-Baptiste (father, deceased) George (father, deceased)
Cécile (née Landeau) Marguerite (née Courbet)
Etienne (older brother, wanderer, farmer) Joe (older brother, wanderer, farmer)
Louise (returns to Quebec) Rose (similar to her mother)
Jean-Baptiste Jr. (dies young) Julien (dies young)
Leopold (studies in Quebec and Rome) Francis (studies at the Sorbonne in France)
Marie (involved in business) Ruth (business-oriented)
Pierre (protagonist) Peter (protagonist)
Wilfred (returns to family farm) Mickey (returns to family farm)
Adélaïde (homemaker) Elizabeth (singer)
Clément (dies young from illness) Charley (dies young in WWII)

Poteet further pointed out parallels between the "Delusson" name and Kerouac’s subsequent use of "Duluoz" for characters reflecting his own relatives, indicating a thematic connection. Barry Miles reinforced this link in his 1998 Kerouac biography, suggesting that Kerouac’s expression "shadows of the trees" may have drawn inspiration from Ducharme’s writings. Nevertheless, Kerouac’s depiction of Joe’s itinerant lifestyle in New York contrasts with Etienne’s Bohemian existence depicted in Delusson. Poteet stressed that Ducharme's narrative was eclipsed by Kerouac’s dynamic prose and dialogue craftsmanship.

Within twelve months following the publication of The Town and the City, Dion-Lévesque acknowledged Ducharme as a forerunner to Kerouac and engaged him regarding Franco-American cultural influences. Kerouac admitted that Franco-American themes were not fully realized in that novel but intended to delve deeper into them in his forthcoming work based on his Lowell community experiences.

In terms of sales, Ducharme's The Delusson Family moved approximately 4,500 copies after its 1939 release, surpassing Kerouac’s debut which sold only several hundred copies despite a larger initial print run of 10,500. Although Kerouac is among the most prominent Franco-American novelists, his widespread acclaim largely stems from his association with the Beat Generation through his second novel, On the Road.

Ethnographer and historian

During a period marked by fluctuating advertising income, Ducharme sold La Justice and shifted his focus from editorial duties to soliciting advertisements. Concurrently, he authored The Shadows of the Trees, an ethnographic account exploring Franco-Americans in New England.[7][11] The title paid homage to Robert P. T. Coffin's work The Kennebec. After applying for a Guggenheim Fellowship and having previous foundation backing, Ducharme took employment at an aircraft manufacturing plant in Hartford during wartime to finance his research. His investigation involved extensive travel throughout New England and Quebec where he interviewed significant figures within the French-Canadian diaspora.[7][12]

In 1941 he secured a contract with Harper. Throughout his research journey, he frequently encountered long periods without hearing English spoken but felt he was chronicling a culture at risk of disappearing. Addressing the Société Historique Franco-Américaine, he remarked:[7]

"What do we do? We are vegetating. We rest on our past achievements. I refer not to schools but rather to our artistic and literary vitality. Let us tally our poets today—I can count four or five. Our novelists? None exist. Historians? Yes, but no one has dared compose a comprehensive history of Franco-Americans. Our focus remains on local histories concerning both us and French Canadians to such an extent that I challenge you to name a history of Canada that covers colonization up to today."

His work underscored the church's pivotal role; parish schools and congregants were instrumental in preserving the French language—a perspective later affirmed by journalist Gabriel Crevier. Within New England's French communities, the church served as the principal social institution before individuals engaged with broader entities like benefit societies, cultural organizations, drama groups, radio broadcasters, and newspapers.[13]

Released in 1943 to mixed critical reception, The Shadows of the Trees encountered criticism for its use of English—perceived as weakening Franco-American cultural endurance—and for advocating bilingualism within American society. Ducharme regarded English as a means to reach audiences beyond francophone readers, marking a new chapter for Franco-American literature. Anglophone critics such as Henry Beston disagreed with his rejection of linguistic separatism yet acknowledged the work’s distinctive contribution as American history written outside New England French contexts.[14] Despite its shortcomings, Ducharme’s historical study gained influence and was cited by scholars including Harvard historian Oscar Handlin and journalist Carey McWilliams, who likened Franco-American assimilation challenges to those faced by Tejanos in the southwestern United States.[15][16][17]

Later years and advocacy efforts

Following the release of The Shadows of the Trees, Ducharme took on the role of book critic for the Springfield Republican and served in the Office of Strategic Services during World War II as a press officer stationed in Europe.[4][18] After the war, he briefly worked as an American correspondent for French publications including Le Maine libre and La Nouvelle République.[4] Upon returning to the United States in 1945, he settled in Rye, New York and joined IBM as a technical writer. He subsequently advanced to become the book editor for Think Magazine and later the editor of IBM Research News.[19] Although he did not publish additional books, Ducharme remained a dedicated promoter of Franco-American heritage, contributing a brief piece on scientific advancements to The Saturday Review in 1956.[20] He continued his career at IBM until his retirement in 1975, after which he moved to Stratford, Connecticut.[19][21]

During his retirement, Ducharme actively engaged in preserving Franco-American literature amid the Revival period. He delivered a presentation at a 1976 conference organized by the National Materials Development Center for French and Portuguese, which republished several novels and later issued L'Heritage in 1983—the first novel in New England French published in decades.[21] Although his involvement was primarily advisory, he maintained extensive correspondence with the center’s staff on initiatives such as A Franco-American Overview, a collection of educational textbooks focused on Franco-American culture designed for academic use.[22][6] Jacques Ducharme died on December 30, 1993, in Hartford, Connecticut.[1]

Bibliography

  • The Delusson Family (1939)
  • The Shadows of the Trees (1943)
  • Knowledge Without Pain (1957), published in The Saturday Review
  • Après Trente Ans (1976), included in Les Franco-Américains: La promesse du passé, les réalités du présent

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named gazaille
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named hoehn
  3. ↑ Template:Cite thesis
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named dion
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named beaulieu
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named quintal-1992
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named bulletin1942
  8. ↑

    To the audience she [the novel] speaks to, ignorant of Canadian life, she might be a revelation...the work thus will have achieved its goal, to make known and esteemed in American circles the solid qualities of the French-Canadian race.
  9. ↑ Kempton, Kenneth Payson (July 15, 1939). "From Quebec to New England". p. 6. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named gosnell
  11. ↑ Ducharme, Jacques (1943). The Shadows of the Trees, The Story of French-Canadians in New England. New York & London: Harper & Brothers. pp. 123–127. OCLC 5824785.
  12. ↑ Ducharme, Jacques (1943). The Shadows of the Trees, The Story of French-Canadians in New England. New York & London: Harper & Brothers. OCLC 5824785. [Dust Jacket:] Mr. Ducharme now has a wartime job in an aircraft plant in Hartford, Connecticut.
  13. ↑ Conforti, Joseph (May 4, 1976). From Immigrant to Ethnic: Interview with Gabriel Crevier by Joseph Conforti (Report). From Immigrant to Ethnic, Ethnic Heritage Studies Project – via Rhode Island College Digital Commons.
  14. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named beston
  15. ↑ Handlin, Oscar (1964). The American people in the twentieth century. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. p. 233.
  16. ↑ McWilliams, Carey (1968). North from Mexico; the Spanish-Speaking People of the United States. New York: Greenwood Press. p. 312.
  17. ↑ Seller, Maxine (1977). To seek America : a history of ethnic life in the United States. Englewood, N.J.: J. S. Ozer. p. 299. {{cite book}}: Text ""The story of the French-speaking immigrants from Canada is told in Jacques Ducharme, The Shadows of the Trees: The Story of the French Canadians in New England (1943)."" ignored (help)
  18. ↑ National Archives
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named suzanne
  20. ↑ Knowledge Without Pain, 1956
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named 30ans
  22. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named overview

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