Roch Carrier was born in the small town of Sainte-Justine, Quebec, in 1937. He received a BA from the Universite Saint-Louis in Edmunston, New Brunswick, a master's degree from the Universite de Montreal, and a doctorate at the Universite de Paris. He published his first book, La Guerre, Yes Sir! in 1968 at the age of 31. He was secretary-general of the Theatre du Nouveau Monde in Montreal, the director of the Canada Council from 1994 to 1997, and appointed National Librarian in October 1999. He lives in Montreal.