A graduate of the University of Ottawa in philosophy (bachelor's, master's and doctoral studies), Pierre Raphaël Pelletier was notably an art critic, researcher, professor and director of continuing education at his alma mater. Since 1975, he has published around fifteen books (collections of poetry, novels and essays), including the essay Petites incarnations de la tête delinquante (L'Interligne, 1994), Il faut crier l'Injure (Le Nordir, 1998) , novel for which he received the Christine-Dumitriu-Van-Saanen Prize and the 1999 Ottawa-Carleton Book Prize and the collection of poetry Even Ferns Have Skin Cancers (Le Nordir, 2002). His paintings, drawings, sculptures and motley objects have been used to illustrate many books and have been exhibited about fifty times (alone or in groups) mainly in Quebec and Ontario.
Intimately linked to his creative work, his activism in favor of the recognition of the arts and culture of French Canada as a formidable interlocutor who occupied all the forums and was in all the fights. His fervor allowed him to occupy the functions of spokesperson and president of major artistic lobbies of the Canadian Francophonie, including a remarkable stint at the Fédération culturelle canadienne-française.
In 1997, Pierre Raphaël Pelletier received the Prix du Nouvel-Ontario for his body of work and, in 2003, the Canadian Conference of the Arts awarded him his Diplôme d'honneur, attesting to his exceptional contribution to the cultural life of Canada.
