Suzanne Cyr, the Frye Festival’s Vice-President and head of the programming committee, will receive the Médaille de vermeil of the Académie française for her role in promoting French language and literature.
“What a wonderful way of recognizing the efforts of our programming committee and the achievements of the Frye Festival on an international scale,” says Danielle LeBlanc, Executive Director of the Frye Festival. “We are grateful to have a volunteer as devoted as Suzanne at the head of our French-language programing. She has succeeded in attracting many big names in French literature, all of whom have returned home very happy and captivated by l’Acadie.”
Thanks to Suzanne’s dedication and determination, the Frye Festival has contributed to the promotion of French language and culture for the last 13 years. Indeed, during the last years, four winners of the Prix Goncourt (Jean-Christophe Rufin, Gilles Leroy, Patrick Chamoiseau and Antonine Maillet) and several winners of the Prix Femina (including Alexandre Jardin and Nancy Huston) have made their way to Moncton to participate in the Frye Festival. Jean-Christophe Rufin, who participated in the 2011 Festival, is also a member of the Académie française.
Suzanne Cyr will go to Paris on December 6, 2012 to claim her prize.
The Académie française
The Académie française is an organization that standardizes and perfects the French language. It was founded in 1635 and its primary role is to regulate the French language by defining rules, by removing frills and making it more understandable to all. The Académie française brings together leading figures of literary life and in 2012, 65 awards are granted.
About the Frye Festival
The Frye Festival is Atlantic Canada’s largest literary happening. The annual event takes place at the end of April, though the organizers also present many events throughout the year. The Festival will launch its 2012-2013 season in the fall, kicking off with the annual Community Read. Information about the Festival and its mission is available at www.frye.ca.
