Jacques Poulin was born in 1937 in Saint Gédéon, Québec. He received his Arts degree from the Université Laval where he focused on literature and psychology. He worked for several years as a commercial translator and later as a college guidance counsellor. It was only after the success of his second novel, Jimmy, that he was able to devote himself competely to his writing. Poulin's novels, Les Grandes Marées, Volkswagen Blues and Le Vieux Chagrin achieved great commercial and critical success in Québec, winning Poulin the Governor General's Award for Les Grandes Marées and the Prix France-Amérique for Le Vieux Chagrin. His eighth and most recent novel, La Tournée d'Automne was published in 1993 to excellent reviews. Poulin has written a total of eight novels, six of which have been translated into English.