Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to highlight the talent of a Quebec author, from Laval, no less, Claire Varin, who was recently awarded the prestigious Prix de la Société des écrivains canadiens for her last novel, entitled Désert, désir , in which the West and Christianity are juxtaposed with the Middle East and Islam.
With a Doctorate in Letters from the University of Montreal, Claire Varin has worked for a number of different cultural programs at Radio-Canada in addition to teaching literature. She is also a Portuguese interpreter and has published two previous novels.
On behalf of the community of Laval I offer congratulations and thanks to Ms. Varin, who is also the recent recipient of the Prix de la création artistique awarded by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and who was recently appointed president of the Société littéraire de Laval.