Nancy Huston
The Teacher

This is Nancy Huston's screen début. Born in Calgary in 1953, she has been living in Paris for the last twenty years. Following her studies in the United States, she went to Paris where she completed a Ph.D. in semiology under the direction of Roland Barthes.

Slowly but surely Nancy Huston began publishing her essays which focused on the status of women, as well as her first works of fiction, including The Golderg Variations which received immediate critical acclaim. In 1993 she received the Governor General's award of Canada in the category of French-language novel, for Cantique des Plaines, which put her at the forefront of the literary world. Since then Nancy Huston's works have enjoyed success among critics and the public, making her one of the most important and recognized writers of our time.

In 1994, she published La Virevolte, which was followed by Désirs et réalités in 1995, and the stunning Instruments des ténèbres in 1996, which seduced the young jury of the prix Goncourt des lycéens. In recent years she has been drawn to exploring themes of exile, death, the process of writing, motherhood, and the role of art in a cynical world. Her prose is brought to life by a dark, angry, sometimes violent, and always moving lyricism. Her published works include ten novels and numerous essays. As well as portraying "The Teacher" in Emporte-Moi she also collaborated on the screenplay for the film.