Gilles Vigneault is mainly known as a singer; but he also represents the rich vein of French-Canadian folk culture as a poet and writer. Vigneault's 1965 song "Mon Pays" was the most popular contemporary Quebec song--"Mon pays ce n'est pas un pays, c'est l'hiver," runs the refrain--until 1976 when his "Gens du Pays" became the unofficial national anthem of Quebec. It is also for his career as a chansonnier, conteur, actor, and poet that he has been so often honored: with a Governor General's Award and the Prix Calixa-Lavallée (both in 1966); the grand prize of the Academie Charles-Cros (1970); honorary degrees from the University of Trent and the Université du Québec à Rimouski (1975 and 1979); the Molson Prize (1982); and membership in the French Legion of Honor. "He is the most gifted poet in Canada since Emile Nelligan, whether in English or French," wrote Louis Dudek in...