Late Canadian poet laureate accused of plagiarism

MONTREAL – One of Canada’s former poet laureates is being accused of plagiarizing the works of well known English-language authors in a book that has since been taken off the shelves. U.K.-based poetry sleuth Ira Lightman went public in The Guardian newspaper over the weekend about his investigation into Pierre DesRuisseaux. DesRuisseaux died in January 2016. Lightman says DesRuisseaux’s “Tranches de vie,” a book of French language poetry published in 2013, lifted works from various authors, including Maya Angelou, Dylan Thomas and even late rap artist Tupac Shakur.

He says in an interview he doesn’t want to besmirch a lifetime of work, but adds an acknowledgment of the uncredited work was necessary. Montreal-based publisher Editions du Noroit said Monday that only between 50 and 100 copies of the book were sold and that it has since been removed from shelves. Pierre Belanger, who runs the publishing house, says the late Quebec writer, poet, journalist, publisher and translator’s health may have something to do with any uncredited work.

Belanger says DesRuisseaux suffered from a degenerative brain disorder in his final years and may have been confused when he submitted work he believed was original.

DesRuisseaux produced numerous works including several books of poetry, with “Moneme” earning him the 1989 Governor General’s Award, Canada’s most prestigious literary honour.