Marie Hélène Poitras was born in Ottawa and lives in Montreal. She received the Prix Anne-Hébert for her first novel,
Soudain le Minotaure (2002, reissued by Alto in 2022;
Suddenly the Minotaur, DC Books, 2006). Her short story collection
La mort de Mignonne et autres histoires (Alto, 2017) was a finalist for the Prix des libraires du Québec.
While Griffintown (Prix France-Québec and finalist for the Prix Ringuet) was inspired by her experience as a carriage driver in Old Montréal,
Sing, Nightingale, an ode to creation, draws on her travels in the French countryside.
