Roch Carrier was born May 13, 1937 in Sainte-Justine, Quebec. He went to boarding school in neighbouring Saint-Georges de Beauce. He earned a B.A. in 1957 from Université Saint-Louis in Edmundston, New Brunswick, a Masters in 1964 from the Université de Montréal, and a Doctorat ès Lettres in 1970, from the Université de Paris.
In 1964, he joined the French Department of the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean, teaching literature until 1970. IN 1968, at the age of 31, he published his hugely successful novel, La Guerre, Yes Sir!. Since then he has written many other novels, short stories, plays, film and television scripts, essays, travel books, and poetry. He continued his teaching career at the Université de Montréal from 1970 to 1971.
In 1971, he was appointed secretary general of the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde. From 1973 to 1980, he was the director of the French Department and coordinator of the undergraduate program in Canadian Studies at the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean. He stayed on and was appointed to various positions, becoming the principal in 1990. In 1991, Carrier was awarded the Stephen Leacock Award for Humour for Prayers of a Very Wise Child. Carrier is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, an Officer of the Order of Canada, and has honorary doctorates from the Université de Moncton, York University, Memorial University and the Royal Military College of Canada.
From 1994 to 1997, he was the director of the Canada Council for the Arts. In October of 1999, Carrier became the National Librarian of Canada.
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