Inside the mind of Émile Nelligan, a romantic and tragic Montreal poet whose work changed Quebec

CBC

10-02-2025

This video was produced by Arizona O'Neill as part of the CBC Creator Network and originally published in February 2025. Learn more about the Creator Network here.
Émile Nelligan is one of Quebec's most romantic literary figures, but also one of its most tragic. His words and life are the stuff of legend in French Quebec.
The handsome poet exploded onto the literary scene at the end of the 19th century, at the age of 19, changing the content and structure of Quebec literature — leading it from conventionality into lyrical and experimental introspection.
His later commitment to a mental health facility has sparked an endless fascination with Nelligan's life and inner state, inspiring operas, plays and movies.
His oeuvre was written between the ages of 16 and 19 years old, before he vanished from the literary scene. What happened?
Arizona O'Neill dives into the mythos of this poet, separating fact from fiction. She examines this sensitive teenager's poems that have not left Quebecers' lips since they were first written.
A mystery outside of French Quebec, O'Neill introduces Nelligan to a new audience and hopes viewers will seek out more of Émile Nelligan's work.
O'Neill is a Montreal-based writer and illustrator. She has published the illustrated book Est-ce qu'un artiste peut être heureux? and illustrated Nelly Arcan's L'enfant dans le miroir. O'Neill's graphic memoir is forthcoming with publisher Drawn & Quarterly.