:: Bissonnette, Lise

Lise Bissonnette

Lise Bissonnette is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Bibliothèque nationale du Québec. In August 1998, she was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Grande bibliothèque du Québec, which was merged with the BNQ in 2002. Prior to her appointment, Madame Bissonnette served for eight years as publisher and editor of the Montréal daily Le Devoir.

After completing graduate studies in education in Montréal, Strasbourg and Paris, Lise Bissonnette worked in higher education planning before joining Le Devoir, in 1974. In 1990, she was appointed publisher and editor. An outstanding political and cultural analyst, as well as an astute manager, she thoroughly reformed this influential newspaper, reviving and expanding its editorial base, restructuring its finances and presiding over a new design that garnered several international awards.

She is the author of seven books - three collections of essays and four works of fiction, all published by Les Éditions du Boréal. The English translations of her novels are published by House of Anansi Press.

Lise Bissonnette has received several awards, including five honorary doctorates from universities in Quebec, Canada and the United States. She was also awarded a career medal by the Académie des lettres du Québec and has been inducted into the Canadian Journalism Hall of Fame. She is a member of the Ordre de la Pléiade (the Francophonie), an officer of the Ordre national du Québec and a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur in France.

The Bibliothèque nationale du Québec is currently building the Grande Bibliothèque, a new national cultural institution located in Montréal's downtown core. The BNQ's mandate is to establish a Quebec-wide library network, to promote the value of books and reading, as well as the importance of national and international literature throughout Quebec.





			FIL 2003

		Lise Bissonnette Lise Bissonnette is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Bibliothèque nationale du Québec. In August 1998, she was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Grande bibliothèque du Québec, which was merged with the BNQ in 2002. Prior to her appointment, Madame Bissonnette served for eight years as publisher and editor of the Montréal daily Le Devoir. After completing graduate studies in education in Montréal, Strasbourg and Paris, Lise Bissonnette worked in higher education planning before joining Le Devoir, in 1974. In 1990, she was appointed publisher and editor. An outstanding political and cultural analyst, as well as an astute manager, she thoroughly reformed this influential newspaper, reviving and expanding its editorial base, restructuring its finances and presiding over a new design that garnered several international awards. She is the author of seven books - three collections of essays and four works of fiction, all published by Les Éditions du Boréal. The English translations of her novels are published by House of Anansi Press. Lise Bissonnette has received several awards, including five honorary doctorates from universities in Quebec, Canada and the United States. She was also awarded a career medal by the Académie des lettres du Québec and has been inducted into the Canadian Journalism Hall of Fame. She is a member of the Ordre de la Pléiade (the Francophonie), an officer of the Ordre national du Québec and a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur in France. The Bibliothèque nationale du Québec is currently building the Grande Bibliothèque, a new national cultural institution located in Montréal's downtown core. The BNQ's mandate is to establish a Quebec-wide library network, to promote the value of books and reading, as well as the importance of national and international literature throughout Quebec.