Professor Hédi Bouraoui, York University’s writer in residence, was formally invested as a member of the Order of Canada during a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Thursday, March 14. Bouraoui was recognized for his tremendous body of work and tireless advocacy for French-language literature.
Governor General Julie Payette presided over the event, which also acknowledged the achievements of 39 other Canadians.
The Governor General of Canada Julie Payette (right) presented the member insignia of the Order of Canada to York Professor Hédi Bouraoui, C.M., on March 14 at Rideau Hall
Bouraoui is the former Chair of French Studies. He has authored 20 books of poetry, 15 novels and several volumes of literary criticism. He has taught courses in contemporary theory and fiction for the graduate program in English and postcolonial Maghrebian literature for graduate French.
In addition to this latest honour, Bouraoui was awarded the title of Chevalier des Palmes Académiques in 1996 by the French government. He was then promoted to Officier des Palmes Académiques in 2004. In 1999, he received the Prix du Nouvel Ontario of the Nuit de l’Étang, Sudbury, for his contributions to francophone arts and culture in Ontario. In 2003, he received an honorary degree from Laurentian University. In 2005, an international conference on his work was organized at York University, and the Proceedings, Perspectives Critiques sur l’oeuvre d’Hédi Bouraoui (edited by York Professor Elizabeth Sabiston and McMaster Professor Suzanne Crosta) was published in 2007.
Bouraoui continues to play an active role in the Canada-Maghreb Centre, which he founded at Stong College.
For the official release from the Office of the Governor General of Canada on Bouraoui’s investiture as a member of the Order of Canada, visit: gg.ca/en/media/news/2019/governor-general-invest-40-recipients-order-canada.